Archeological Investigations
Archaeological field and laboratory research includes all aspects of investigation from reconnaissance to intensive survey and site testing. Full-scale excavations or mitigation measures are provided by in-house staff. Laboratory services include artifact identification, analysis, and description. Geo-Marine’s experience with pipeline projects and similar linear facilities has involved oil and gas pipelines, power utility corridors, transportation corridors, and fiber-optics rights-of-way. These linear projects have ranged from 10 miles to hundreds of miles in length.
The company can also conduct non-intrusive investigations using remote sensing equipment such as proton magnetometers, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity. Geo-Marine’s use of cutting edge technologies, predictive modeling, and sampling strategies reduce work loads, eliminate redundancy, and lower costs to achieve project goals effectively.
Cutting edge technologies:
- Mobile 3D Laser Scanning
- Mobile Archaeological Recording Kit (MARK)
Archaeological reporting is supported by the integrated use of GPS and various software packages to provide detailed site maps, conduct quantitative data analysis, and maintain extensive databases. All archaeological investigations have been conducted according to the appropriate state and federal guidelines, including Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended through 1992. Our team has experience in:
- Surveys and site evaluations
- Data recovery
- Geoarchaeology
- Archaeological monitoring
- Remote sensing
Related Projects
Phase II Investigations of Site 41DL391, North Texas Tollway Authority
Archaeological
testing of site 41DL391 in Dallas, Texas was conducted to determine the limits,
density, and eligibility status for inclusion in the NRHP as part of
EIS investigations. Backhoe trenching to locate the site at 3 to 3.7
m below the current flood plain surface was conducted prior to hand
excavations. All hand excavated units were 1-x-1 m, 1-x-.5 m, and
.5-x-.5 m in size. Special samples were collected for radiocarbon
dating, molluscan identification, macrobotanical identification, and
other interpretative analyses to aid in the eligibility
determination of the site.
The investigations revealed two discrete living surfaces. Both of these living surfaces yielded very little material, but radiocarbon dating put one at approximately 1,000 years B.P. and the other between 940–700 B.P. Although the investigations yielded important information concerning the nature of subsistence patterns during this portion of the Late Holocene, the site yielded little else to clarify the relationship of the inhabitants of these foraging camps to the inhabitants of known sites within the region. The site was recommended as ineligible for inclusion in the National Register.
Excavation Conducted at Madera Quemada Pueblo
GMI
archeologists excavated a 13-room pueblo settlement located on
Fort Bliss in south-central New Mexico, about 15 miles north of El
Paso, Texas. The pueblo, known as Madera Quemada, is situated on a
terrace above Old Coe Lake playa, a small desert lakebed
intermittently flooded by rainfall runoff from the Organ Mountains.
The occupation of the pueblo occurred sometime between A.D. 1275 and
1450, a period that has been termed the El Paso phase in the
regional prehistoric sequence. Madera Quemada is Spanish for “burned
wood” and refers to the large quantities of burned wood roof beams
and roof support posts found on the floors of several rooms.
Madera Quemada pueblo was covered by a hard, dense deposit of adobe. This helped protect the pueblo from the damaging effects of wind and water erosion and animal burrowing that is so common among other prehistoric sites in the desert setting of West Texas and Southern New Mexico. The pueblo is exceptionally well-preserved and numerous artifacts remain on the floors of rooms. The excellent preservation and research potential of the pueblo, combined with the fact that no El Paso phase pueblo had been professionally excavated for over 20 years, provided GMI archeologists with an exceptional opportunity to study how prehistoric pueblo groups adapted to the desert environment of the region.
The excavations at Madera Quemada pueblo were funded and supported by the Directorate of Environment, Fort Bliss, Texas
National Register of Historic Places Eligibility Determination for 90 Sites
GMI
evaluated 90 archaeological sites located within active firing
groups at Fort Bliss in the southern Tularosa Basin, Doña Ana
County, NM. Geoarchaeological studies revealed Holocene soil
horizons at both basin and alluvial fan contexts. Forty-four of the
sites exhibited geomorphic integrity and significant artifact
deposits. The regional expertise of Geo-Marine staff contributed to
the recognition of important Middle Archaic components at several
sites and the realization that a cluster of Early Formative sites
has the potential to provide data critical to an understanding of
cultural changes within the Tularosa Basin at A.D. 200–1000.
Archaeological Survey and Paleoenvironmental Investigations
In
2003 under contract with the U.S. Navy, Atlantic Division,
GMI conducted archaeological inventory and paleoenvironmental
investigations within 1,200 acres of the U.S. Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The purpose of the work was to provide the
Navy with an initial database for the formulation of a comprehensive
historic preservation program for the station. Selected areas of the
station perceived to have a high probability of containing evidence
of prehistoric and historic occupation of the landform were
inventoried.
As a result of the investigation, 19 Precolumbian sites spanning the Archaic through Ceramic periods and 22 sites associated with early Spanish colonial occupation (n=1), the Spanish American War Battle of Cuzco Wells (n=1), the initial 1904–1908 U.S. Navy development of the base (n=19), and Precolumbian/Spanish colonial occupations (n=1) were recorded. Macrobotanical analysis of flotation remains and soil micromorphology analysis of selected profiles from sampled Precolumbian sites yielded data critical to an understanding of the changing prehistoric environment. The primary result of the studies was an evaluation of the potential for additional archaeological sites and the need for systematic survey of portions of the installation.
Archeological Investigations
Archaeological
field and laboratory research includes all aspects of investigation
from reconnaissance to intensive survey and site testing. Full-scale
excavations or mitigation measures are provided by in-house staff.
Laboratory services include artifact identification, analysis, and
description. Geo-Marine’s experience with pipeline projects and
similar linear facilities has involved oil and gas pipelines, power
utility corridors, transportation corridors, and fiber-optics
rights-of-way. These linear projects have ranged from 10 miles to
hundreds of miles in length.
The company can also conduct non-intrusive investigations using remote sensing equipment such as proton magnetometers, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity. Geo-Marine’s use of cutting edge technologies, predictive modeling, and sampling strategies reduce work loads, eliminate redundancy, and lower costs to achieve project goals effectively.
Cutting edge technologies:
- 3D Laser Scanning
- Mobile Archaeological Recording Kit (MARK)
Archaeological reporting is supported by the integrated use of GPS and various software packages to provide detailed site maps, conduct quantitative data analysis, and maintain extensive databases. All archaeological investigations have been conducted according to the appropriate state and federal guidelines, including Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended through 1992.
Geo-Marine archaeological services include: Surveys and site evaluations Data recovery Geoarchaeology Archaeological monitoring Remote sensing
Archaeological Surveys in Support of Cingular Wireless Cell Tower Construction, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and District of Columbia
GMI
conducted a series of surveys for proposed locations of Cingular
Wireless cell tower compounds, in various states. Each proposed cell
tower survey involved archival research to review known sites and
previous survey files. Site visits to each proposed cell tower
location were conducted, with shovel testing and photodocumentation.
Individual reports are submitted for each location at the end of
fieldwork and analysis.
For the surveys conducted in Virginia, GMI was able to identify and register three new archaeological sites, two lithic raw material procurement sites in Madison (44MA193), and Louisa (44LS225) counties, Virginia a and a multi-component prehistoric and nineteenth century site in Stafford County, Virginia (44ST821). These newly documented archaeological sites have resulted in the re-location of the proposed towers in order to avoid impact to potentially significant cultural resources.
Archaeological and Geomorphological Investigations, Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida
GMI
conducted test excavations at 17 archeological sites within the
active training ranges of Avon Park Air Force Range. The testing
methodology involved an initial phase of shovel testing to determine
the areas with the greatest potential and the excavation of several
1-x-1- or 1-x-2-meter units within each site. Intensive
geomorphologic coring and profile descriptions, and radiocarbon and
Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating were used to determine
the site formation and the modification factors affecting each site.
The OSL dating was critical to the recognition of bioturbation as a
major factor affecting the vertical distribution of artifacts within
the sites with deep (>2 meters) sand deposits. Macrobotanical,
pollen, and faunal analyses were conducted on samples collected from
the wet midden sites, which displayed excellent preservation. The
methodologies and results of these investigations will serve as the
model for peninsular Florida investigations.