International Research Fellowship Program: Archaeological Diagenesis: A Chemical Study of In Situ Mineral Formation in Prehistoric Cave Shelters

Smith, Gregory D, Arlington VA

Investigators

Abstract

0107378 Smith The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will provide twelve months of support to Dr. Gregory D. Smith to work with Dr. Steve Weiner at the Weizmann Institute's Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science in Rehovot, Israel. This project involves the reconstruction of paleogeochemical environments of cave shelters in order to assess the completeness of their archaeological records. Authigenic minerals identified in situ at prehistoric sites will serve as paleoenvironmental indicators. They will be purified and their solubilities studied under varying conditions in order to predict past diagenetic conditions. Armed with such knowledge, archaeologists will know better how the archaeological record is affected or altered by post-depositional chemical diagenesis. It is expected that results from this work will be applicable not only to prehistoric cave archaeology, but to other areas of archaeology as well as geology. Dr. Weiner is the director of the newly established Kimmel Center, as well as professor of Structural Biology at the Weizmann Institute.