Mechanical properties of charcoal and its representativeness of vegetation in northern China

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine the representativeness of charcoal taxa at archeological sites in northern China. We carried out standardized laboratory compression tests on 168 samples representing 21 taxa charred at four different temperatures to characterize the mechanical properties of common taxa in temperate China. The results indicate that significant fragmentation differences occur between taxa. Ring-porous/semi-ring-porous taxa with a moderate density (>0.55 g/cm3) are overrepresented, while those with a very low to low density (<0.55 g/cm3) are moderately represented. Diffuse-porous taxa with slightly dense uniseriate rays, rare multiseriate rays and distinct helical thickenings are underrepresented, and those with slightly dense multiseriate rays are overrepresented, while those with rare to moderate multiseriate rays and helical thickening absence are moderately represented. Gymnosperm trees are generally well represented. Among the ubiquitous taxa at the archeological sites across northern China, Quercus and Ulmus may be overrepresented, and Pinus, Salix, Populus, and Acer may be underrepresented, while Betula may be moderately represented.