Identifier

etd-01182014-171830

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Electrical resistivity was used at the Livonia Mound site (16PC1) to identify construction breaks, possible human burials, and other cultural activity below the surface. Resistivity transects traveled across the mound and the level surface directly south of the mound; this latter section was called Area A. Four transects stretched across the north, south, west, and east slopes of the mound; as a result, four vertical profiles were created from the apparent resistivity (ĉa) values. The standard deviation of each transect was computed using the ĉa values from the four pseudo-sections to establish the base-line for analysis. ĉa values for Area A were figured separately because of the differences in temperature at the times the surveys were taken which impact the moisture within the soil. Four areas of high ĉa were identified; these anomalies could represent human burials or other cultural activity beneath the surface. Area A and the west transect produced anomalies hinting at cultural activity below the surface, although no definitive evidence of human burials was found. The vertical profiles from the east and west transect show evidence that the top 3.0 m were deposited in a single construction episode. High ĉa anomalies in the north and south transects distort the profiles; thus there was no conclusive evidence to support or refute a single-phase construction episode for the top 3.0 m of the remaining mound.

Date

2014

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Saunders, Rebecca

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1803

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