Estimating volumes of coastal shell midden sites using geometric solids
| dc.contributor.author | Gustas, Robert H. | |
| dc.contributor.author | McKechnie, Iain | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mackie, Quentin | |
| dc.contributor.author | Darimont, Chris | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-02-07T19:50:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-02-07T19:50:35Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2022 | en_US |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Coastal shell midden deposits are a quintessential component of the archaeological record on the Pacific Northwest Coast. Despite their importance in informing the cultural and environmental histories of Indigenous peoples, research on shell middens has largely not sought to address the physical extent of these cultural deposits, which requires estimating shape, depth, and volume. Here, we present a new scalable geospatial model, designed to work with legacy survey data, for estimating midden volumes based on applying a regular geometric solid to sites with known extent and depth. We evaluate the accuracy of this technique using percussion core, total station, and lidar data from eight sites in Tseshaht territory on western Vancouver Island and three sites on the north coast of British Columbia (Canada). As part of the evaluation process of our results, we calculate uncertainty using subsurface core depth data and then compare generalized and modeled midden volume estimates. We demonstrate an accurate general model applied at the regional scale across a systematically surveyed landscape. This work presents the first landscape-scale measure of midden extents and volume within our study area, with relevance to historical ecology and settlement patterns. | en_US |
| dc.description.reviewstatus | Reviewed | en_US |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Faculty | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This article was supported in part by a SSHRC-CGS Fellowship and MITACS–Hakai Institute Accelerate Internship awarded to R. Gustas, and a NSERC-Discovery Grant (2017– 06821) awarded to I. McKechnie. Funding for fieldwork was variously provided by Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada, Tseshaht First Nation, and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council as part of the Hiikwis Archaeological Project (2008-2011), and more recently, to the Keith Island Archaeology Project (2017-2022). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of this manuscript. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.citation | Gustas, R. H., McKechnie, I., Mackie, Q., & Darimont, C. (2022). “Estimating volumes of coastal shell midden sites using geometric solids.” Advances in Archaeological Practice, 10(2), 200-214. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2022.9 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2022.9 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1828/14767 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Advances in Archaeological Practice | en_US |
| dc.subject | coastal archaeology | en_US |
| dc.subject | geospatial methods | en_US |
| dc.subject | geometric volume estimation | en_US |
| dc.subject | shell midden | en_US |
| dc.subject | Northwest Coast | en_US |
| dc.subject | GIS | en_US |
| dc.subject | 3D modeling | en_US |
| dc.title | Estimating volumes of coastal shell midden sites using geometric solids | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |