Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant: Geological Analysis To Determine Environmental Change

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

According to researchers, humans have entered the Anthropocene - a period of time when human action dominates natural processes. Yet, no one is quite sure when or how humans have arrived at this critical junction in time. Some researchers argue that the Anthropocene is recent, while others argue that it is thousands of years old. Archaeology is well situated to resolve this debate and provide historical insight into this problem. In particular, the investigators will use the early and rich archaeological record of China to better document the origins of the Anthropocene. This study uses a series of buried soils as a record of ancient environmental conditions, helping to put environmental changes now happening in China in a historical context. As part of this project, the investigators will help train Chinese collaborators interested in build the first reference collection of archaeologically important soil samples collected from Henan, China. The investigators will foster an exchange of perspectives, knowledge, and data between Chinese and American scholars necessary to answer this problem. Under the direction of Dr. Tristram Kidder, Mr. Michael Storozum will use an extraordinarily preserved record of buried soils in Neihuang County, Henan, China to better document the origins of the Anthropocene to answer this specific research question. From two localities in Neihuang County, Anshang and Sanyangzhuang, the investigators will collect and analyze a continuous series of samples with a variety of scientific methods including X-ray florescence, electron microprobe, grain size distribution analysis, loss-on-ignition, magnetic susceptibility, and soil micromorphology to identify signatures of past human land use. Additionally, the investigators will refine the chronology at both Sanyangzhuang and Anshang with accelerator mass spectrometry dating of radiocarbon samples. By identifying signatures of past human land use, the investigators will be able to assess how humans transformed the natural environment of ten thousand years ago into the environments of the Anthropocene. This project will provide the data for Mr. Storozum's doctoral dissertation.