Prehistoric alteration of soil in the Lower Rhine Basin, Northwest Germany—archaeological, 14C and geochemical evidence

Gerlach, Renate; Baumewerd-Schmidt, Heike; Borg, K. van den; Eckmeier, Eileen; Schmidt, Michael W.

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2006.01.011

Cited by 69 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…About one-third of the soil organic matter in pit fillings and soil horizons consisted of charred organic matter, or black carbon. AMS 14 C data of charred organic matter from soil samples selected for this study (Table 1) indicated the occurrence of fires during Mesolithic to Neolithic periods (Gerlach et al, 2006;Eckmeier et al, 2009). The control samples were taken from the soil material (Bt-horizon of Luvisols) directly next to the pits from an identical soil depth.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contrastingly, burning could also increase the abundance of lipids in soil by releasing organic compounds from charred biomass, which are subsequently translocated into the soil (DeBano et al, 1970;Czimczik et al, 2003). About one-third of the organic matter in the investigated dark soils is charred (black carbon; Gerlach et al, 2006). During one or more burning events, the lipid contents of the charred biomass were most likely reduced.…”

Section: Total Lipid Extractsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The changes in soil organic matter composition due to agricultural practice could be considered part of the archaeological record, but the marker substances that allow the assessment of anthropogenic activities are diverse and their long-term fate in soil is often unknown (Heron, 2004). The fire-history of a site can be reconstructed by the presence of macrocharcoal or by applying chemical methods to determine the amount of charred organic matter in soil samples (e.g., Bird and Cali, 1998;Carcaillet et al, 2002;Wang et al, 2005;Gerlach et al, 2006). However, burning of grass or herbaceous vegetation does not produce large amounts of charcoal particles and chemical methods are rarely applied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-chain n-alkanes (C16–20) in ancient soil are useful molecular markers for prehistoric biomass burning

Eckmeier

Wiesenberg

2009

Journal of Archaeological Science

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103

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The incorporation of plant biomass into soil usually leads to long-chain n-alkanes with a relative predominance of odd carbon numbered homologues. Contrastingly, an increase in short-chain even carbon numbered n-alkanes was found in charred biomass with progressing temperatures. We applied lipid analysis to buried ancient topsoils that contained charred organic matter and to corresponding control soils, which were characterized by a lighter color and lower contents of charred materials. Commonly, the proportion of lipid extracts was found to be lower in the ancient soil than in the control samples, which indicated an enhanced degradation of organic matter, e.g., by thermal degradation. All samples displayed a particular pattern of short-chain and even carbon numbered n-alkanes (maximum at n-C16 or n-C18). The ratios CPI (carbon preference index) and ACL (average chain length) for the investigated soil samples matched the ratios found for maize and rye straw charred at 400 °C or 500 °C, respectively. These molecular ratios indicate the presence of charred biomass. The predominance of short-chain and even carbon numbered n-alkanes was a result of thermal degradation of biomass. The degradation products were preserved in ancient soils and could be applied as molecular markers in archaeological or palaeoenvironmental research.Author's personal copy b s t r a c tThe incorporation of plant biomass into soil usually leads to long-chain n-alkanes with a relative predominance of odd carbon numbered homologues. Contrastingly, an increase in short-chain even carbon numbered n-alkanes was found in charred biomass with progressing temperatures. We applied lipid analysis to buried ancient topsoils that contained charred organic matter and to corresponding control soils, which were characterized by a lighter color and lower contents of charred materials. Commonly, the proportion of lipid extracts was found to be lower in the ancient soil than in the control samples, which indicated an enhanced degradation of organic matter, e.g., by thermal degradation. All samples displayed a particular pattern of short-chain and even carbon numbered n-alkanes (maximum at n-C 16 or n-C 18 ). The ratios CPI (carbon preference index) and ACL (average chain length) for the investigated soil samples matched the ratios found for maize and rye straw charred at 400 C or 500 C, respectively. These molecular ratios indicate the presence of charred biomass. The predominance of short-chain and even carbon numbered n-alkanes was a result of thermal degradation of biomass. The degradation products were preserved in ancient soils and could be applied as molecular markers in archaeological or palaeoenvironmental research.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Total Lipid Extractsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-chain n-alkanes (C16–20) in ancient soil are useful molecular markers for prehistoric biomass burning

Eckmeier

Wiesenberg

2009

Journal of Archaeological Science

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103

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“…Human settlement does not explain the marked differences between the potential and contemporary actual vegetation in the Alpine environment (Gerlach et al 2006;Evershed 2008;Hjulström, Isaksson 2009;Miehe et al 2014) -the ecological continuity of parent material and the nowadays vegetation was broken by both processes occurring after Dryas 3 (the end of the Würm period) and the continuing Holocene global climate changes (Simonneau et al 2012). Therefore, the Alps represent unique areas for the detection of global change and its environmental involvements because of several reasons: 1 -as the climate changes rapidly with altitude over relatively short horizontal distances, so do vegetation and hydrology (Scherrer, Körner 2011) and relatively small perturbations in global processes can cascade down to produce large changes (Helbing 2013); 2 -in mountain ecosystems, it is possible to investigate impacts of global warming in the absence of direct or significant human interference (Beniston 2006;You et al 2014); 3 -because of the abundance of available literature data and monitoring actions about climate and environment in their territory.…”

mentioning

confidence: 94%

Climate change impacts on the Alpine ecosystem: an overview with focus on the soil

Chersich¹,

Rejšek²,

Vranová³

et al. 2015

J. For. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:The Alpine ecosystem is very sensitive to climatic changes, which have an influence on glaciers, snow, vegetation and soils. The aim of this review is to illustrate the effects of global change on the Alpine soil ecosystem, which is an optimal marker to record them. The manuscript enhances our understanding of the global change effect on the Alpine environment: on morphology, on ice, on vegetation and points out how the cycles of soil nutrients equilibrium have been changed with a direct effect on soils that support plant species. The changes in cryosphere, glacier reduction and periglacial environment as glaciers retreat, decrease in the snow cover extent and earlier snowmelt, determine an effect on soils (on the structure, organic matter and humus forms, soil processes and soil types) from the top of the Alpine horizon to the bottom. The processes induced by climate change (such as erosion and tree line shifting) have a direct effect on water balance that can be observed on soil profile characters with an effect on upward migration, change in phenology, extensive losses of species. The equilibrium of the biogeochemical cycles has been changed and this has a direct effect on soils that support plant species.

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“…This would allow to increase the number of dates for archaeological sites or to date fire events that left only small charcoal particles behind. In this study, we dated charred organic matter taken from fossil soil material (relic Anthrosols and Neolithic settlement pit fillings) in the Lower Rhine Basin (NW Germany; Gerlach et al 2006). To elucidate if the dating of chemically isolated microcharcoal could indeed substitute the dating of soil macrocharcoal particles, we compared 14 C ages of single macrocharcoal particles with those of microcharcoal samples; both charcoal fractions were separated from the same soil sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dating Charred Soil Organic Matter: Comparison of Radiocarbon Ages from Macrocharcoals and Chemically Separated Charcoal Carbon

et al. 2009

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ABSTRACT. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal in soils is commonly used to reconstruct past environmental processes. Also microcharcoal that is chemically isolated from soil organic matter by high-energy UV photo-oxidation can be dated with 14 C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). We compared the 14 C AMS ages of 13 pairs of hand-picked macrocharcoals and microcharcoal samples separated via the UV oxidation method; both charcoal fractions were taken from the same soil samples (prehistoric pit fillings). We found that in most cases, the microcharcoal fraction yielded older ages than the single macrocharcoal pieces, and that the differences between the ages are not systematic. A reason for these age differences might be that the microcharcoal fraction consists of more stable components than macrocharcoals and thus yields older ages. Dating of microcharcoal would give a mean age of charred organic matter in soil material and the ages of the more stable compounds. Thus, 14 C data obtained from the microcharcoal fraction in soils is not comparable to macrocharcoal ages and should not be used to complement existing macrocharcoal data sets.

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Prehistoric alteration of soil in the Lower Rhine Basin, Northwest Germany—archaeological, 14C and geochemical evidence

Cited by 69 publications

References 23 publications

Short-chain n-alkanes (C16–20) in ancient soil are useful molecular markers for prehistoric biomass burning

Short-chain n-alkanes (C16–20) in ancient soil are useful molecular markers for prehistoric biomass burning

Climate change impacts on the Alpine ecosystem: an overview with focus on the soil

Dating Charred Soil Organic Matter: Comparison of Radiocarbon Ages from Macrocharcoals and Chemically Separated Charcoal Carbon

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