Geophysical Evaluation of the Richland and Holloway Mounds, Southeastern Louisiana, USA

Abstract

The Mississippi River Valley contains some of the earliest records of Native American earthwork construction, extending back ∼6000 years. Louisiana contains over 700 mounds of cultural significance, most of which have not been examined, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of mound usage in this region. Using geophysical techniques, including magnetic susceptibility (MS) and electrical resistivity, the Richland (16WF183) and Holloway (16TA32) Mounds were examined for anomalies or subsurface features. Based on sediment coring and electrical resistivity profiling across the surface, MS and apparent resistivity (ρa) data are well correlated within each mound, and anomalous ρa zones were identified. The Richland and Holloway Mounds differ markedly in the preserved magnetic features: Richland contained an extensive anomalous area, while Holloway contained two distinct and isolated anomalies. Overall morphology and mound preservation, combined with ρa and MS data, suggest a potential burial or remnants of a burial within Holloway. Richland did not contain evidence of subsurface archaeological material, although there may be fired horizons at depth. A combination of minimally destructive and noninvasive geoarchaeological techniques permitted characterization of these sites without significantly altering site context, expanding upon the limited description of mounds in Louisiana, and provides a framework for future studies at these sites.

A Palaeoenvironmental Investigation of Two Prehistoric Burnt Mound Sites in Northern Ireland

“…Anthropogenically constructed mounds commonly appear in the archaeological record and have various ages, shapes, and sizes, as well as different types of construction material, including earth, stone, and remnants of burnt fuel. These include presumed burial mounds, dating back 6000 years in Louisiana (Keenan & Ellwood, 2014), earthen burial and platform mounds in southeast and southwest of North America (Lindauer & Blitz, 1997;Pluckhahn et al, 2015), the Stege Mounds (middens) of California (Eerkens et al, 2014), monumental building of flat-topped mounds in central Georgia, USA (Bigman & Lanzarone, 2014), and numerous Pre-Columbian earthworks to build dwellings in the Amazon (Lombardo & Prümers, 2010). Outside the Americas, mounds are also widely distributed including the Anatolian mounds in the Near East (Steadman, 2000), the monumental mound of Silsbury Hill and burial mounds in southern Britain (Semple, 1998;Bayliss, McAvoy, & Whittle, 2007), and burnt mounds across the British Isles (Buckley, 1990).…”

Combining Electromagnetic Induction and Resistivity Imaging with Soil Sampling to Investigate Past Soil Disturbance at Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah, GA

“…Geophysical surveys provide a noninvasive method for quick, spatial investigation of historic sites before soil excavation (Alaia et al, 2008; Batayneh, 2011; Drahor, 2006; Grangeia et al, 2011; Keenan and Ellwood, 2014; Piro, 2009) and are particularly useful for directing soil sampling and evaluating areas where excavation is not always appropriate, for example, in burial sites (Hargrave et al, 2002). Geophysical instruments measure contrasts in soil physical properties; thus, they can be particularly helpful for detection of buried artifacts (Batayneh, 2011; Gaffney and Gater, 2003).…”