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Post-depositional alteration of humid tropical cave sediments: Micromorphological research in the Great Cave of Niah, Sarawak, Borneo
- Source :
- Journal of Archaeological Science. 77:109-124
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2017.
-
Abstract
- The post-depositional alteration of cave sediments is of critical importance for the recognition, identification and investigation of geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence. There have been relatively few studies of tropical cave sediments using micromorphology and this work represents one of the most detailed with 26 samples taken from deposits in the West Mouth of the Great Cave of Niah that cover the last >∼55,000 BP, and contain the earliest known evidence for the remains of modern humans in Southeast Asia. Cave sediments situated in the humid tropics are subject to relatively high temperatures and moisture conditions that promote high rates of chemical alteration and geomorphic change. This paper outlines those post-depositional features that occurred in situ in the West Mouth and include: translocation and concentration; bioturbation; excrement; bone alteration; plant alteration; clast alteration and guano decomposition. It examines their implications for recognising past human activities (e.g. fire-altered materials), the preservation of archaeological remains, the nature of palaeoenvironments and of localised physical and bio-geochemical processes.
- Subjects :
- High rate
010506 paleontology
Archeology
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
060102 archaeology
Humid subtropical climate
Geochemistry
06 humanities and the arts
Bone Alteration
01 natural sciences
humanities
Southeast asia
Sedimentary depositional environment
Paleontology
Cave
Guano
0601 history and archaeology
Bioturbation
Geology
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03054403
- Volume :
- 77
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........769c93ba74878eb54090403810cf9932