Abstract
Marco Gonzalez is one of a number of Maya sites on Belize’s coast and cayes (coral islands) that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. Like Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), the soils are sought locally for cultivation and are underlain by anthropogenic deposits. Our research is aimed at assessing the role of the anthropogenic deposits in soil formation processes with a view to developing strategies to quantify the long-term environmental impact of human activities today.
Highlights
RESEARCH ARTICLEElizabeth Graham*, Richard MacPhail*, John Crowther†, Simon Turner‡, Julia Stegemann§, Manuel Arroyo-Kalin*, Lindsay Duncanǁ, Phillip Austin*, Richard Whittet¶ and Cristina Rosique¶
Archaeological soil and sediment studies complement archaeological excavation, and the attendant analyses of recovered artefacts, in order to paint as detailed a picture as possible of past environments
If areas in the past were periodically flooded, resulting in the presence of standing water, we would know because the sediment particles would be sorted by size
Summary
Elizabeth Graham*, Richard MacPhail*, John Crowther†, Simon Turner‡, Julia Stegemann§, Manuel Arroyo-Kalin*, Lindsay Duncanǁ, Phillip Austin*, Richard Whittet¶ and Cristina Rosique¶. Marco Gonzalez is one of a number of Maya sites on Belize’s coast and cayes (coral islands) that exhibit anomalous vegetation and dark-coloured soils. Like Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs), the soils are sought locally for cultivation and are underlain by anthropogenic deposits. Our research is aimed at assessing the role of the anthropogenic deposits in soil formation processes with a view to developing strategies to quantify the long-term environmental impact of human activities today
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