Reconstructing a prehistoric topography using legacy point data in a depositional environment

Abstract

Reconstruction of past topography is an essential step towards the understanding of past landscapes in terms of biophysical patterns and processes and man–landscape interactions by archaeologists, geomorphologists, geologists and soil scientists. Landscape reconstructions can be based on process knowledge, on data, or on a combination of both. In this case study we focus on a data‐based approach, where knowledge on the geological history is used to interpret and exploit legacy data. As part of a landscape reconstruction of a large area of 584 km2 a map of the elevation near 10 000 BC was produced. Starting from a present‐day grid digital elevation model (GDEM) that was filtered for human influences, we identified the thickness of accumulated sediments over the Holocene, mapped these and corrected the GDEM. To map the thickness of Holocene sediments we used 72 (OSL and 14C) dated sediment samples, 731 recent profile descriptions and 3288 legacy profile descriptions. Protocols were formulated based on literature and local correlative studies to convert the legacy profile descriptions into estimates of the thickness of Holocene sediments, with an estimate of the precision. The method of Kriging with uncertain data was applied to obtain a map. Validation at 200 independent test locations with certain data showed a mean error of –6 cm and a standard deviation or error of 16 cm, which was in accordance with the estimated precision of 16 cm. The resulting map indicated zones with marked change that could be studied in more detail. Future reconstructions could employ both process knowledge and data by combining landscape genesis models with legacy data to map model errors and thus increase the quality of the reconstruction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Shaping pre-modern digital terrain models: The former topography at Charlemagne’s canal construction site

“…Deductive approaches ( Table 4 ) provide an advantage of handling the study area without laborious fieldwork and allow us to work with spatially well-distributed input data (DTMs, aerial images, etc.) that are relatively easy to obtain and well-achievable for large areas [ 16 , 10 , 17 ]. Usually, a present landscape is deconstructed via eliminating different structures with different techniques until the necessary state has been reached [ 10 ].…”

“…that are relatively easy to obtain and well-achievable for large areas [ 16 , 10 , 17 ]. Usually, a present landscape is deconstructed via eliminating different structures with different techniques until the necessary state has been reached [ 10 ]. However, for a deductive approach, the temporal uncertainty of the modelled terrain and the validation of the result are critical.…”

“…In recent years, there have been several approaches to reconstruct pre-modern terrain based on the interpolation of large datasets from drillings, archaeological excavations, and outcrops [ 9 , 10 ]. Other studies combine archaeological excavation data and geophysical data to interpolate detected pre-modern surface heights [ 11 – 13 ].…”

Processes and Modeling of Initial Soil and Landscape Development: A Review

“…Knowledge about the initial spatial heterogeneity of the solid phase (rocks, sediments, and soils) is essential for modeling of the ecohydrological development of catchments and landscapes (e.g., Brunton and Bryan, 2000; Thompson et al, 2011) but is often difficult to describe with sufficient accuracy (Peeters et al, 2006; Schneider et al, 2013; Vermeer et al, 2014). Likewise, without knowledge of the initial setup, relating structure development to mass and element fluxes and maintaining the mass balances is difficult (e.g., Vanwalleghem et al, 2013).…”

The Use of Soil Surveys to Aid in Geologic Mapping with an Emphasis on the Eastern and Midwestern United States

“…The findings of Juilleret et al (2012) support the Wysocki et al (2005) argument. Vermeer et al (2014) used several types of data, including soil survey maps and profile information contained in the accompanying reports, to reconstruct the topography at the beginning of the Holocene at a site in Belgium. The profile descriptions were used to provide information on parent materials as well as the physical, chemical, and morphologic properties of the soil genetic horizons.…”