No abstract

Chemical analyses of soil samples from the Utz site, Missouri, provide results which make it possible to distinguish between soil stains of human origin (postmolds) and similar stains produced by other agencies (for example, rodents). Based on the comparison of the concentrations of magnesium and phosphates in the stains with those of the immediately surrounding soil, postmolds were correctly identified with 96% accuracy in a limited sample. Other soil disturbances in the site (bulldozer drag, an old excavation, and so forth) were also localized on chemical grounds during the course of the research.