The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) determined that a Geographic Information System... more The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) determined that a Geographic Information System (GIS) geodatabase of Missouri archaeological sites and surveys required a thorough quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) assessment by professional archeologists to ensure its accuracy for use in project scoping and development activities. The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) undertook QA/QC for the geodatabase including initial validation and verification of a sample of counties, and recommendations for completing the remaining 99. An initial examination of the geodatabase identified over 12,500 geospatial and logical inconsistencies in data entry. Records for 5,518 sites and 1,781 reports from 14 counties, were examined. On average, 1.9 errors per report and 2.7 errors per site were encountered and corrected. For reports as well as sites, additions (data omitted during data entry) comprise two-thirds of all corrections. Only 6 percent of the reports and 1...
: The present report describes the results of the 1979 effort which involved geomorphological res... more : The present report describes the results of the 1979 effort which involved geomorphological research, excavations at six prehistoric components (three Late Archaic and three Woodland), historic archival work, and investigations at five sites of the historic period. Contributions of the research include a better understanding of the dynamics of human subsistence and settlement patterns from ca. 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1000, a period which apparently witnessed significant climatic change and as well the introduction of several important technological innovations including agriculture, the bow-and-arrow, and pottery vessels. No less important is the enhanced understanding of the historic period resulting from the utilization of archaeological techniques to supplement the documentary record. This disciplinary cross-fertilization resulted in the acquisition of data helpful in understanding the adaptation of the Euroamerican settlers to their environment, the economic networks that were opera...
In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mant... more In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mantled by Wisconsin loesses of variable thickness (Ruhe, 1969; Prior, 1976). These sediments are the youngest regionally extensive Quaternary deposits and were deposited between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Loess is thickest, in the region near the Iowan Erosion Surface (IES) boundary and near local sources (Iowa One to seven meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than three meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than three meters of pre-Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits derived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit. Variable thickness of less than 1 m to 5 m of very dark gray to brown, noncalcareous, stratified silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam, associated with the Holocene channel belt of the Iowa River valley. Overlies Noah Creek Formation. Ox-bow lakes and meander scars are common features associated with this terrace level. Post settlement alluvium thickness varies from .5 m in higher areas to 2 m along the river course and in lower lying areas. Seasonal high water table and frequent flooding potential. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. Grades downward to poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. The Peoria deposits overlie a Farmdale Geosol developed in Roxanna Silt which in turn overlies a well-expressed Sangamon Geosol developed in poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. HUDSON EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages WISCONSIN EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages Qal-Alluvium (De Forest Formation-Undifferentiated
In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mant... more In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mantled by Wisconsin loesses of variable thickness (Ruhe, 1969; Prior, 1976). These sediments are the youngest regionally extensive Quaternary deposits and were deposited between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Loess is thickest, in the region near the Iowan Erosion Surface (IES) boundary and near local sources (Iowa One to seven meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than three meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than three meters of pre-Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits derived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit. Variable thickness of less than 1 m to 5 m of very dark gray to brown, noncalcareous, stratified silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam, associated with the Holocene channel belt of the Iowa River valley. Overlies Noah Creek Formation. Ox-bow lakes and meander scars are common features associated with this terrace level. Post settlement alluvium thickness varies from .5 m in higher areas to 2 m along the river course and in lower lying areas. Seasonal high water table and frequent flooding potential. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. Grades downward to poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. The Peoria deposits overlie a Farmdale Geosol developed in Roxanna Silt which in turn overlies a well-expressed Sangamon Geosol developed in poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. HUDSON EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages WISCONSIN EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages Qal-Alluvium (De Forest Formation-Undifferentiated
Qal Alluvium (De Forest Formation) One to four meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish br... more Qal Alluvium (De Forest Formation) One to four meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than 3 meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than 3 meters of pre Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits der ived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit.
From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired
statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting
a... more From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states making the data available for unrestricted public download and viewing on the Web. The four studies summarized in this paper found that mounds as small as 3 m diameter and 30 cm high were readily visible in these datasets. The studies successfully identified 37 percent of 8,726 mounds previously recorded at a total of 758 sites located in physiographically-varied regions of each state. Two studies, including one funded by NCPTT, developed LiDAR Surveyor, an ArcGIS model that scans large tracts of land, extracting features with the characteristic 3D geometry of conical mounds in LiDAR. The current version scanned 86 km2 in seven physiographically-varied areas of interest, identifying 1216 total mound marks (12 km2), flagging 88 percent as false positives, and identifying potential mounds at twenty-five of twenty-eight known mound sites within the study areas. The clustering of detected mounds in these 25 groups illustrates the model’s utility for prospection, identifying specific areas within which to target costly field verification surveys. The other two studies summarized here achieved mound detection rates of 36 percent by incorporating georeferenced maps and digitized survey traverses to assist in searching LiDAR for 6223 known mounds in seventeen Minnesota counties; 118 previously unknown potential mounds at twelve sites. The studies provided important information about land use factors contributing to mound destruction and preservation. The four studies underscore that archaeologists using LiDAR must be aware of, and explicitly account for, the limitations of LiDAR when using it for archaeological prospection and verification.
... Sheehan (1995) suggests that data from large-scale archaeological surveys conducted in the 19... more ... Sheehan (1995) suggests that data from large-scale archaeological surveys conducted in the 1980s in the Northern Plains support a rejugium model of ... Knowledge of the broad patterns of geological erosion and deposition, in both upland and valley settings (Clayton et al. ...
... Titre du document / Document title. A Soil-Geomorphic Approach to Locating Buried Late Archai... more ... Titre du document / Document title. A Soil-Geomorphic Approach to Locating Buried Late Archaic Sites in Northeast Oklahoma. Auteur(s) / Author(s). ARTZ JA ; Résumé / Abstract. Exemple d'utilisation des données géologiques pour planifier une prospection archéologique ...
Geoarchaeology in the Great Plains. Edited by RD …, Jan 1, 2000
The earth sciences—in particular geology, pedology, and geomorphology—have always played a role i... more The earth sciences—in particular geology, pedology, and geomorphology—have always played a role in how archaeology was conducted on the Northern Plains, serving primarily as a set of tools or techniques for establishing the sequence, chronology, and ...
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) determined that a Geographic Information System... more The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) determined that a Geographic Information System (GIS) geodatabase of Missouri archaeological sites and surveys required a thorough quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) assessment by professional archeologists to ensure its accuracy for use in project scoping and development activities. The University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) undertook QA/QC for the geodatabase including initial validation and verification of a sample of counties, and recommendations for completing the remaining 99. An initial examination of the geodatabase identified over 12,500 geospatial and logical inconsistencies in data entry. Records for 5,518 sites and 1,781 reports from 14 counties, were examined. On average, 1.9 errors per report and 2.7 errors per site were encountered and corrected. For reports as well as sites, additions (data omitted during data entry) comprise two-thirds of all corrections. Only 6 percent of the reports and 1...
: The present report describes the results of the 1979 effort which involved geomorphological res... more : The present report describes the results of the 1979 effort which involved geomorphological research, excavations at six prehistoric components (three Late Archaic and three Woodland), historic archival work, and investigations at five sites of the historic period. Contributions of the research include a better understanding of the dynamics of human subsistence and settlement patterns from ca. 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1000, a period which apparently witnessed significant climatic change and as well the introduction of several important technological innovations including agriculture, the bow-and-arrow, and pottery vessels. No less important is the enhanced understanding of the historic period resulting from the utilization of archaeological techniques to supplement the documentary record. This disciplinary cross-fertilization resulted in the acquisition of data helpful in understanding the adaptation of the Euroamerican settlers to their environment, the economic networks that were opera...
In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mant... more In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mantled by Wisconsin loesses of variable thickness (Ruhe, 1969; Prior, 1976). These sediments are the youngest regionally extensive Quaternary deposits and were deposited between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Loess is thickest, in the region near the Iowan Erosion Surface (IES) boundary and near local sources (Iowa One to seven meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than three meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than three meters of pre-Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits derived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit. Variable thickness of less than 1 m to 5 m of very dark gray to brown, noncalcareous, stratified silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam, associated with the Holocene channel belt of the Iowa River valley. Overlies Noah Creek Formation. Ox-bow lakes and meander scars are common features associated with this terrace level. Post settlement alluvium thickness varies from .5 m in higher areas to 2 m along the river course and in lower lying areas. Seasonal high water table and frequent flooding potential. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. Grades downward to poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. The Peoria deposits overlie a Farmdale Geosol developed in Roxanna Silt which in turn overlies a well-expressed Sangamon Geosol developed in poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. HUDSON EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages WISCONSIN EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages Qal-Alluvium (De Forest Formation-Undifferentiated
In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mant... more In eastern Iowa, the highly eroded and dissected pre-Illinoian upland and older terraces are mantled by Wisconsin loesses of variable thickness (Ruhe, 1969; Prior, 1976). These sediments are the youngest regionally extensive Quaternary deposits and were deposited between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Loess is thickest, in the region near the Iowan Erosion Surface (IES) boundary and near local sources (Iowa One to seven meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than three meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than three meters of pre-Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits derived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit. Variable thickness of less than 1 m to 5 m of very dark gray to brown, noncalcareous, stratified silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam, associated with the Holocene channel belt of the Iowa River valley. Overlies Noah Creek Formation. Ox-bow lakes and meander scars are common features associated with this terrace level. Post settlement alluvium thickness varies from .5 m in higher areas to 2 m along the river course and in lower lying areas. Seasonal high water table and frequent flooding potential. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. Grades downward to poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. Two to seven meters of yellowish brown to gray, massive, jointed, calcareous or noncalcareous, silt loam and intercalated fine to medium, well sorted, sand. The Peoria deposits overlie a Farmdale Geosol developed in Roxanna Silt which in turn overlies a well-expressed Sangamon Geosol developed in poorly to moderately well sorted, moderately to well stratified, coarse to fine sand, loam, or silt loam alluvium. HUDSON EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages WISCONSIN EPISODE Landform Sediment Assemblages Qal-Alluvium (De Forest Formation-Undifferentiated
Qal Alluvium (De Forest Formation) One to four meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish br... more Qal Alluvium (De Forest Formation) One to four meters of massive to weakly stratified, grayish brown to brown loam, silt loam, clay loam, or loamy sand overlying less than 3 meters of poorly to moderately well sorted, massive to moderately well stratified, coarse to fine feldspathic quartz sand, pebbly sand, and gravel and more than 3 meters of pre Wisconsin or late Wisconsin Noah Creek Formation sand and gravel. Unit also includes colluvial deposits der ived from adjacent map units. Seasonally high water tables occur in this map unit.
From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired
statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting
a... more From 2007-2013, Iowa and Minnesota acquired statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states making the data available for unrestricted public download and viewing on the Web. The four studies summarized in this paper found that mounds as small as 3 m diameter and 30 cm high were readily visible in these datasets. The studies successfully identified 37 percent of 8,726 mounds previously recorded at a total of 758 sites located in physiographically-varied regions of each state. Two studies, including one funded by NCPTT, developed LiDAR Surveyor, an ArcGIS model that scans large tracts of land, extracting features with the characteristic 3D geometry of conical mounds in LiDAR. The current version scanned 86 km2 in seven physiographically-varied areas of interest, identifying 1216 total mound marks (12 km2), flagging 88 percent as false positives, and identifying potential mounds at twenty-five of twenty-eight known mound sites within the study areas. The clustering of detected mounds in these 25 groups illustrates the model’s utility for prospection, identifying specific areas within which to target costly field verification surveys. The other two studies summarized here achieved mound detection rates of 36 percent by incorporating georeferenced maps and digitized survey traverses to assist in searching LiDAR for 6223 known mounds in seventeen Minnesota counties; 118 previously unknown potential mounds at twelve sites. The studies provided important information about land use factors contributing to mound destruction and preservation. The four studies underscore that archaeologists using LiDAR must be aware of, and explicitly account for, the limitations of LiDAR when using it for archaeological prospection and verification.
... Sheehan (1995) suggests that data from large-scale archaeological surveys conducted in the 19... more ... Sheehan (1995) suggests that data from large-scale archaeological surveys conducted in the 1980s in the Northern Plains support a rejugium model of ... Knowledge of the broad patterns of geological erosion and deposition, in both upland and valley settings (Clayton et al. ...
... Titre du document / Document title. A Soil-Geomorphic Approach to Locating Buried Late Archai... more ... Titre du document / Document title. A Soil-Geomorphic Approach to Locating Buried Late Archaic Sites in Northeast Oklahoma. Auteur(s) / Author(s). ARTZ JA ; Résumé / Abstract. Exemple d'utilisation des données géologiques pour planifier une prospection archéologique ...
Geoarchaeology in the Great Plains. Edited by RD …, Jan 1, 2000
The earth sciences—in particular geology, pedology, and geomorphology—have always played a role i... more The earth sciences—in particular geology, pedology, and geomorphology—have always played a role in how archaeology was conducted on the Northern Plains, serving primarily as a set of tools or techniques for establishing the sequence, chronology, and ...
Uploads
Papers by Joe Artz
statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting
and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states
making the data available for unrestricted public
download and viewing on the Web. The four
studies summarized in this paper found that
mounds as small as 3 m diameter and 30 cm high
were readily visible in these datasets. The studies
successfully identified 37 percent of 8,726 mounds
previously recorded at a total of 758 sites located
in physiographically-varied regions of each state.
Two studies, including one funded by NCPTT,
developed LiDAR Surveyor, an ArcGIS model
that scans large tracts of land, extracting features
with the characteristic 3D geometry of conical
mounds in LiDAR. The current version scanned
86 km2 in seven physiographically-varied areas
of interest, identifying 1216 total mound marks
(12 km2), flagging 88 percent as false positives,
and identifying potential mounds at twenty-five
of twenty-eight known mound sites within the
study areas. The clustering of detected mounds in
these 25 groups illustrates the model’s utility for
prospection, identifying specific areas within which
to target costly field verification surveys. The other
two studies summarized here achieved mound
detection rates of 36 percent by incorporating
georeferenced maps and digitized survey traverses to
assist in searching LiDAR for 6223 known mounds
in seventeen Minnesota counties; 118 previously
unknown potential mounds at twelve sites. The
studies provided important information about land
use factors contributing to mound destruction and
preservation. The four studies underscore that
archaeologists using LiDAR must be aware of, and
explicitly account for, the limitations of LiDAR
when using it for archaeological prospection and
verification.
statewide, 1m horizontal resolution Light Detecting
and Ranging (LiDAR) imagery, with both states
making the data available for unrestricted public
download and viewing on the Web. The four
studies summarized in this paper found that
mounds as small as 3 m diameter and 30 cm high
were readily visible in these datasets. The studies
successfully identified 37 percent of 8,726 mounds
previously recorded at a total of 758 sites located
in physiographically-varied regions of each state.
Two studies, including one funded by NCPTT,
developed LiDAR Surveyor, an ArcGIS model
that scans large tracts of land, extracting features
with the characteristic 3D geometry of conical
mounds in LiDAR. The current version scanned
86 km2 in seven physiographically-varied areas
of interest, identifying 1216 total mound marks
(12 km2), flagging 88 percent as false positives,
and identifying potential mounds at twenty-five
of twenty-eight known mound sites within the
study areas. The clustering of detected mounds in
these 25 groups illustrates the model’s utility for
prospection, identifying specific areas within which
to target costly field verification surveys. The other
two studies summarized here achieved mound
detection rates of 36 percent by incorporating
georeferenced maps and digitized survey traverses to
assist in searching LiDAR for 6223 known mounds
in seventeen Minnesota counties; 118 previously
unknown potential mounds at twelve sites. The
studies provided important information about land
use factors contributing to mound destruction and
preservation. The four studies underscore that
archaeologists using LiDAR must be aware of, and
explicitly account for, the limitations of LiDAR
when using it for archaeological prospection and
verification.