Estimation of temperatures beneath archaeological campfires using carbon stable isotope composition of soil organic matter

Werts, S. P.; Jahren, A. Hope

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2006.05.007

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Such a relationship could also permit reconstruction of production conditions via measurement of charcoal δ 13 C (c.f. Werts and Jahren, 2007). However, this study suggests that prediction of δ 13 C variation is complicated by the effects of species and production conditions.…”

Section: Implications For Palaeoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…However, growing evidence suggests an offset in δ 13 C between the initial plant tissues and charcoal. Following heating over 100°C, δ 13 C values are elevated by up to 3.5‰ in bulk soil organic carbon, 2.0‰ in carbonized vegetation, 1.5‰ in plant propagules and 1.9‰ in wood (Cachier et al, 1985;Turekian et al, 1998;Werts and Jahren, 2007;Poole et al, 2002;Krull et al, 2003). In other work however, decreases of up to 1.8‰ have been observed in wood charcoal following heating up to 800°C (Jones et al, 1993, Czimczik et al, 2002Turney et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

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Influence of production variables and starting material on charcoal stable isotopic and molecular characteristics

Ascough

Bird

Wormald

et al. 2008

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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We present a systematic study on the effect of starting species, gas composition, temperature, particle size and duration of heating upon the molecular and stable isotope composition of high density (mangrove) and low density (pine) wood. In both pine and mangrove, charcoal was depleted in δ 13 C relative to the starting wood by up to 1.6‰ and 0.8‰ respectively. This is attributed predominantly to the progressive loss of isotopically heavier polysaccharides, and kinetic effects of aromatization during heating. However, the pattern of δ 13 C change was dependant upon both starting species and atmosphere, with different structural changes associated with charcoal production from each wood type elucidated by Solid State 13 C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. These are particularly evident at lower temperatures, where variation in the oxygen content of the production atmosphere results in differences in the thermal degradation of cellulose and lignin. It is concluded that production of charcoal from separate species in identical conditions, or from a single sample exposed to different production variables, can result in significantly different δ 13 C of the resulting material, relative to the initial wood. These results have implications for the use of charcoal isotope composition to infer past environmental change.

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Section: Implications For Palaeoenvironmental Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Influence of production variables and starting material on charcoal stable isotopic and molecular characteristics

Ascough

Bird

Wormald

et al. 2008

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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“…The maximum temperature was varied from 200 to 650°C, while keeping an unheated sample to compare with. These thermal parameters were chosen to correspond to heating rates and maximal temperatures in a real fire (Carrancho and Villalaín, 2008;Werts and Jarhen, 2007).…”

Section: Thermoluminescence Signal Of Thermal References and Samples mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal characterisation of Bronze Age hearths from the cave of Les Fraux (Dordogne, France) by thermoluminescence and magnetic susceptibility techniques

Brodard¹,

Guibert²,

Lévèque³

et al. 2014

Open J Archaeometry

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In the cave of Les Fraux (Dordogne, France) numerous traces of fires are visible in the galleries. A multidisciplinary investigation was carried out to study these fires. This paper presents the methodology applied for the hearth study. It is based on the examination of the thermoluminescence (TL) of quartz and the magnetic susceptibility of iron oxides. First of all, magnetic susceptibility was measured on the surface of hearths. Based on both susceptibility mapping and visible sediment characteristics, small sediment samples (1-2 g) were taken. Subsequently, quartz grains were extracted from the sediment samples. Fourteen thermal references were obtained by heating (from 200 to 650°C) fractions of the pristine unfired cave sediment. Comparing the TL signal of anciently heated quartz to the reference samples allowed to obtain the maximum equivalent temperature attained for each sample extracted from ancient fires. Consequently, the correspondence between magnetic susceptibility and temperature allowed for the reconstruction of a paleotemperature map of the study area. This research provides information about fire intensity in the cave, which can help to understand its function.

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“…The duration of forest surface fires is on the order of 1 to a few minutes (Butler and others 2004;Cruz and others 2006a,b;Despain and others 1996;Frandsen and Ryan 1986;Hartford and Frandsen 1992;Vasander and Lindholm 1985) except where extended residual secondary flaming ( fig. 2-2a) occurs beneath logs or in concentrations of CWD where flaming combustion may last a few hours resulting in substantial soil heating (Hartford and Frandsen 1992;Monsanto and Agee 2008;Odion and Davis 2000;Werts and Jahren 2007). If canopy fuels are plentiful and sufficiently dry, surface fires begin to transition into crown fires (Scott and Reinhardt 2001;Van Wagner 1977).…”

Section: Fire Behavior and Effects: Concepts And Models _____________mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on cultural resources and archaeology

Ryan¹,

Jones²,

Koerner³

et al. 2012

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This state-of-knowledge review provides a synthesis of the effects of fire on cultural resources, which can be used by fire managers, cultural resource (CR) specialists, and archaeologists to more effectively manage wildland vegetation, fuels, and fire. The goal of the volume is twofold: (1) to provide cultural resource/archaeological professionals and policy makers with a primer on fuels, fire behavior, and fire effects to enable them to work more effectively with the fire management community to protect resources during fuels treatment and restoration projects and wildfire suppression activities; and (2) to provide fire and land management professionals and policy makers with a greater understanding of the value of cultural resource protection and the methods available to evaluate and mitigate risks to CR. The synthesis provides a conceptual fire effects framework for planning, managing, and modeling fire effects (chapter1) and a primer on fire and fuel processes and fire effects prediction modeling (chapter 2). A synthesis of the effects of fire on various cultural resource materials is provided for ceramics (chapter 3), lithics (chapter 4), rock art (chapter 5), historic-period artifacts/materials (chapter 6), and below-ground features (chapter 7). Chapter 8 discusses the importance of cultural landscapes to indigenous peoples and emphasizes the need to actively involve native people in the development of collaborative management plans. The use and practical implications of this synthesis are the subject of the final chapter (chapter 9).Keywords: cultural resources, heritage resources, archaeology, fire regime, fire environment, fuels management, fire management, fire planning, wildfire, prescribed fire, First-Order fire effects, Second-Order fire effects, Third-Order fire effects, Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER), fire severity, traditional cultural knowledge (TKE), cultural landscapesTo order, check any box or boxes below, fill in the address form, and send to the mailing address listed below. Or send your order and your address in mailing label form to one of the other listed media.RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 1. Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on fauna. Send to: ________________________________________________________________________________ Name RMRS-GTR ________________________________________________________________________________ AddressYou may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and number. Publishing ServicesTelephone ( Summary ____________________________________Cultural resources refer to the physical evidence of human occupations that cultural resource specialists and archaeologists use to reconstruct the past. This includes the objects, locations, and landscapes that play a significant role in the history or cultural traditions of a group of people. Cultural resources include artifacts of historical significance left by prehistoric aboriginal p...

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Estimation of temperatures beneath archaeological campfires using carbon stable isotope composition of soil organic matter

Cited by 41 publications

References 30 publications

Influence of production variables and starting material on charcoal stable isotopic and molecular characteristics

Influence of production variables and starting material on charcoal stable isotopic and molecular characteristics

Thermal characterisation of Bronze Age hearths from the cave of Les Fraux (Dordogne, France) by thermoluminescence and magnetic susceptibility techniques

Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on cultural resources and archaeology

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