on applications of micro photogrammetry and geometric morphometrics to studies of tooth mark morphology the modern olduvai carnivore site tanzania abstract recent application of photogrammetric and geometric morphometric approaches to the study of cut marks on bones has yielded positive results in discriminating different types of tools and even some raw materials here we apply this analytical technique to the study of carnivore tooth scores the goal is twofold on the one hand we intend to differentiate carnivore types and on the other one we show the application of this approach to a sample of tooth scores from long bones documented at the modern assemblage of the olduvai carnivore site ocs previous taphonomic work at ocs suggested that this bone assemblage constituted a good evidence of a carcass accumulation behavior by lions followed by hyena ravaging the application of these 3d techniques to the selected sample of tooth marks shows that lions as well as spotted hyenas did indeed impart marks on the ocs assemblage this reinforces the dual nature of the assemblage and the implication of lions in its formation

autochthonous anisotropy of archaeological materials by the action of water experimental and archaeological reassessment of the orientation patterns at the olduvai sites abstract anisotropic patterns documented indirectly through m leakey s drawings of olduvai archaeological sites have led to questions about the integrity of these sites most experiments on bone transport by water have been carried out using complete elements that do not replicate specimen bone breakage and size as documented in archaeological sites in the present work an experimental framework is provided using experimental proxies of archaeological assemblages results show that autochthonous assemblages affected by hydraulic processes can adopt anisotropy in their fabric archaeological comparisons between drawings and excavated sites at olduvai stress the bias in leakey s drawings of flk zinj and flk north in bed i a large scale open excavation recently carried out at tk bed ii exposes an area comparable in size to leakey s excavations comparing the orientation patterns of this site to those reported by leakey shows how biased the drawing of the site is and how easily this can lead to misinterpretations of isotropy anisotropy with fatal consequences for the understanding of site formation processes

surface modification on bone trampling versus butchery abstract previous researchers have reported difficulties in distinguishing between surface marks on bone formed by sedimentary abrasion and those inflicted while butchering trampling by large ungulates and humans has been credited with producing pseudocut marks natural alterations to the bone that mimic cultural ones the purposes of this research are 1 to re examine trampling as a taphonomic process and 2 to suggest criteria useful for distinguishing sedimentary abrasion including trampling from butchery macroscopic and microscopic comparison of experimentally trampled bones and those which have had soft tissue removed with a flint tool demonstrate significant differences between the surface modifications produced by the two processes

study of the shk main site faunal assemblage olduvai gorge tanzania implications for bed ii taphonomy paleoecology and hominin utilization of megafauna recent excavations at the shk main site olduvai gorge tanzania have unearthed a dense concentration of stone tools and faunal remains here we describe how the site contributes to the understanding of hominin subsistence strategies and paleoecology during bed ii times 1 78 1 34 ma this palimpsestic site is located within and on the over bank of a river channel taphonomic analyses suggest that a heterogeneous set of taphonomic agents played a role in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage although hominins played a rather marginal part in this assemblage s faunal accumulation and modification the recovered faunal assemblage includes evidence that is consistent with hominin exploitation of hippopotamus and equid this evidence underscores the possibility that by 1 5 ma hominins were diversifying their diet and enlarging their ecological niche by exploiting probably opportunistically megafaunal remains more commonly than previously documented taphonomic spatial analysis shows differences in bone preservation and modification according to whether faunal specimens were located inside the river channel or on its over bank we also show that spatial taphonomic analysis can contribute to the understanding of palimpsest site formation as well as to the reconstruction of diverse taphonomic agents responsible for that formation a comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity between shk versus other upper bed ii sites supports the notion that the environment was fairly open prior to the beginning of the bed iii deposits the large number of lithic artifacts concentrated at the shk main site when considered in conjunction with the small amount of evidence for carcass processing suggests that hominins engaged in a diversity of activities beyond butchery

micro photogrammetric characterization of cut marks on bones in the last few years the study of cut marks on bone surfaces has become fundamental for the interpretation of archaeological sites and prehistoric butchery practices due to the difficulties in the correct identification of cut marks many criteria for their description and classifications were suggested this article presents an innovative methodology which supplements the microscopic study of cut marks despite the benefits of using scanning electron microscopy sem for the two dimensional identification of these marks it has a number of drawbacks such as the high costs and consequently the limited sample studied in this article a low cost technique for the analysis of cut mark micromorphology from a tri dimensional perspective is introduced it provides a high resolution approach to cut mark characterisation such as morphology depth width and angle estimation as well as section determination measured directly on the marks on bones macro photogrammetry records quantitative and qualitative information which can be statistically processed with standard multivariate and geometric morphometric tools

on compression characteristics of ariake clays j b burland proposed that the void index aids in assessing the compressibility of various sedimentary clays the extensive data on sensitive ariake clays are used in this study to investigate the

equations for effective stress and permeability of soft mud sand mixtures equations for the terzaghi effective stress and permeability of clay silt sand mixtures are derived on the basis of a scale invariant structure of the soil to enhance physical interpretation of the empirical coefficients the behaviour of soft sediment is assumed to be dominated by the clay fraction but the sediment may also contain silt and sand a theoretical model is presented of the structure of the sediment based on the concept of a scale invariant structure of the clay silt matrix using this scale invariant model equations for effective stress and permeability are derived the equations take effects due to partial segregation into account the equations for effective stress and permeability are validated against data effective stress permeability and particle size distributions obtained from a consolidation experiment with a sandy soft mud it is shown that the equation for effective stress relates the effective stress to the clay and sand volume fraction accurately for the present data set

technological strategies and the economy of raw materials in the tk thiongo korongo lower occupation bed ii olduvai gorge tanzania abstract at tk 113 m2 were excavated in 2010 2012 in the two areas immediately adjacent to the trenches dug by m leakey in 1963 extensive lithic and faunal assemblages were retrieved from several levels of the archaeological site tk is located at the exposed top of olduvai s bed ii recently dated to 1 353 0 035 ma from a geo archaeological perspective the stratigraphic studies have provided a redefinition of the processes involved in the site s formation this paper offers a geological interpretation that revises and amends previous ones the new interpretation focuses particularly on the technological and paleoeconomic study of a new lithic assemblage recovered from the lower occupation level tklf this assemblage comprises 5805 objects in total including 3812 items of shatter we analyse here the chaines operatoires represented in this level as well as the processes implied by the raw materials management maintenance and abandonment of the lithic assemblage the character of the site as well as the activities carried out in it have been greatly influenced by the proximity of the sources of the raw material primarily used which could have been extracted from an inselberg of a particular type of quartzite located within a few hundred meters of the site two different chaines operatoires can be identified in tklf one based on obtaining flakes from varied blanks particularly volcanic rocks and the distinctive quartzite and the second on the manufacture of large and highly standardized bifaces that were produced used and abandoned in the site

compression and consolidation characteristics of structured natural clay the compression and consolidation behavior of some structured natural clays are discussed it is shown that for some structured natural clays the relation between void ratio e and mean effective

a new soil mechanics approach to quantify and predict land subsidence by peat compression land subsidence threatens many coastal areas quantifying current and predicting future subsidence are essential to sustain the viability of these areas with respect to rising sea levels despite its scale and severity methods to quantify subsidence are scarce in peat rich subsidence hot spots subsidence is often caused by peat compression we introduce the standard cone penetration test cpt as a technique to quantify subsidence due to compression of peat in a test in the holland coastal plain the netherlands we found a strong relationship between thickness reduction of peat and cone resistance due to an increase in peat stiffness after compression we use these results to quantify subsidence of peat in subsiding areas of sacramento san joaquin delta and kalimantan and found values corresponding with previously made observations these results open the door for cpt as a new method to document past and predict future subsidence due to peat compression over large areas 2016 american geophysical union all rights reserved

taphonomic identification of cut marks made with lithic handaxes an experimental study abstract recent experimental studies have developed new diagnostic criteria to differentiate between trampling and cut marks within cut marks these diagnostic criteria have been useful to differentiate between marks made with simple and retouched flakes the present study expands the application of these criteria using a multivariate analysis to discriminate marks created with handaxes from those made with stone tool flakes a discriminant analysis resulted in a selection of specific variables which can successfully differentiate cut marks made with handaxes from those created with retouched flakes in more than 80 of occasions the utility of this analogical taphonomic signature created by handaxes is discussed in the light of their potential value as butchering tools

geoarchaeology in a meandering river a study of the bk site 1 35 ma upper bed ii olduvai gorge tanzania abstract bk site hosts 8 archaeological levels preserved inside the channel of a meandering river this river is not found in a floodplain but encased in a wide karstified carbonate surface with no edaphic development the river at bk has been recurrently used by hominins for carcass processing in the river channel coinciding with a high concentration of vegetation and water resources along the channel banks the spatial distribution of the different archaeological levels is the result of a complex sedimentary record such complexity in meandering river deposits is due to processes such as erosion transport and sedimentation occurring simultaneously and coarse and very fine sediments being deposited at the same time throughout the same isochronal surface bk site offers a unique opportunity thanks to its abundance in archaeological remains and the quality of the outcrop to geoarchaeologically depict and describe an archaeological site in a meandering channel the geology of this fluvial environment is considered regarding a fluvial architecture b facies distribution and c fluvial dynamics furthermore the abundance of archaeological remains and megafauna found inside the channel at bk contrasts with the absence of any remains outside the channel we hypothesize that this area was preferred by hominins since it offers a high concentration of water resources and vegetation as well as a greater protection against predators than an open plain a detailed reconstruction of the paleolandscape will try to uncover the reason behind the huge contrast existing between the abundance of remains found inside and outside the channel leading to the interpretation that an ecological or landscape related factor is conditioning the location and formation of the archaeological assemblage

biotic and abiotic processes affecting the formation of bk level 4c bed ii olduvai gorge and their bearing on hominin behavior at the site abstract excavations at bk have provided insights into the behavior of early hominins through the study of several archaeological levels the present study shows the results for a new archaeological sub level bk4c the main goal is to contribute to the knowledge of the different taphonomic processes that shaped bk4c and to better understand the role played by hominins in its formation due to the presence of a fluvial depositional context and a slight channel in bk4c a spatial analysis has been applied in order to determine the impact caused by water flows we conclude that water played a role in the rearrangement of the assemblage however the spatial properties of the assemblage indicate a limited impact of post depositional disturbance processes supporting the autochthonous nature of the site the taphonomic study of this sub level indicates that hominins had a primary role in the accumulation bulk defleshing and demarrowing of carcasses bk4 assemblages bk4b and bk4c indicate a repeated occupation of the site for short time periods this is interpreted by the overall fast sedimentation recorded in the fluvial system and the paucity of highly weathered bones showing extensive periods of sub aerial exposure in between sedimentary episodes the site functionality is potentially different from that inferred for earlier oldowan periods where sites were smaller and showed less marked spatial clustering of lithics and stone tools caused by hominin behavior

a new method for the quantitative analysis of cutmark micromorphology abstract cutmarks found on the fossilised bones of butchered animals provide direct evidence for the procurement of meat through technological means as such they hold some of the oldest available information on cognitive ability and behaviour in human evolution here we present a new method that allows a three dimensional reconstruction of cutmark morphology and the quantification of profile parameters we have tested this new technique on cutmarks that were experimentally inflicted on a pig rib using a steel knife and an un retouched flint flake at different angles the method allows for the cross sectional shape the sharpness and depths of the resulting cutmarks to be quantified the data show that knife mark sections are characterised by a v shape or shape depending on the inclination of the knife cutmarks produced with the flint flake were less clearly defined and generally less sharp than those produced by the knife we discuss the method s potential to provide new information on butchery technique and cognitive abilities developed by the human lineage from the earliest tool using hominins through to modern homo sapiens

modelling consolidation accelerated by vertical drains in soils subject to creep the settlement of embankments and reclamations over soft soils is frequently accelerated by the use of vertical drains the magnitude of long term settlement is sometimes reduced by the use of surcharge although there is often uncertainty about how long the surcharge should be maintained to minimise creep movement the design of vertical drains is generally based on closed form solutions of terzaghi s consolidation equation and rarely takes into account non linear stiffness and creep of the soil in this paper a one dimensional finite difference consolidation analysis is outlined showing how vertical and radial drainage of a multi layer soil profile in the zone of influence of a vertical drain may be modelled the analysis allows inclusion of a zone of peripheral smear around the drain and drain resistance permeabilities may be varied with void ratio and creep is modelled both during and after primary consolidation the application of the model is illustrated with back analysis of field data from cons

the formulation of virgin compression of soils the paper presents a generalized power formulation of specific volume as a function of stress which describes the virgin compression of a wide range of soils in its simplest form this reduces to butter field s natural compression law natural soils exhibiting brittle behaviour such as cemented or leached clays can also be formulated in terms of the generalized power relationship in which applied vertical effective stress is reduced by an amount reflecting the degree of bonding or leaching at large stress the soil becomes destructured and response converges to that of a non brittle soil the generalized formulation allows a distinction between the effects of brittle and non brittle components of structure it is indicated that non brittle structure may exist in some clays and that cemented canadian clays possess pronounced brittle and non brittle properties parameters of the generalized power relationship describing intrinsic and non brittle behaviour are correlated with liquid limit water content

cutmarks made by stone tools on bones from olduvai gorge tanzania fossils from olduvai gorge tanzania show cutmarks which establish that hominids were using stone tools on animal tissues during the lower pleistocene in africa we identified cutmarks by elimination of other likely causes of the marks on the bone surfaces for example gnawing or chewing by carnivores or rodents and damage made by tools of excavators or preparators this was achieved by comparing the marks on the fossils with those produced by known causes on modern bones using scanning electron microscopy sem because the fossils occur as part of accumulations of animal remains in relatively undisturbed geological contexts we conclude that there is a functional association between the stone artefacts and bones at these sites rather than an accidental postmortem association1 2

correlations of diagenesis with sedimentary facies in eocene sandstones western oregon diagenesis in eocene basinal lithic sandstones of the oregon coast range is constrained by mineralogic composition and original depositional environment and various other chemical and physical factors including fluid flow and temperature homogeneous volcanic and lithic sandstone compositions within the sequence of the tyee elkton and coaledo formations allow examination of diagenetic phases in relation to sedimentary environment authigenic minerals are controlled m part by depositional facies well developed clay and zeolite laumontite and heulandite clinoptilolite cements are abundant in deltaic to shelf and inner fan facies throughout the section carbonate cements occur in sandstones from many facies matrix is most common in sandstones of the outer fan facies matrix rich rocks had less original depositional porosity and permeability hence zeolite and clay cements are not well developed in outer fan turbidite sandstones a paragenetic sequence of the diagenetic phases indicates that several cement generations and replacements reduced most of the depositional porosity minor dissolution of ca rich phases indicates sparse secondary porosity developments in these rocks statistical analyses support the distinction of a homogeneous petrofacies group and the correlations of diagenesis with facies

cut marks and raw material exploitation in the lower pleistocene site of bell s korongo bk olduvai gorge tanzania a geometric morphometric analysis the lower pleistocene site of bell s korongo bk in olduvai gorge tanzania has been a key site for the study of the origin of human behaviour the lower archaeological levels of bk are characterized by anthropogenic activity related to the exploitation of megafauna elephant hippopotamus sivatherium and smaller game zebra wildebeest and antelopes these remains display a high frequency of cut marks the exceptional state of preservation of the bk fossil assemblage has allowed a wide range of different analyses that among other things detected the use of quartzite in butchering activities through the study of cut marks following up previous analyses this paper presents the study of a series of cut marks from the bk faunal assemblage using a 3d geometric morphometric methodological approach in order to determine the mineralogical properties of the quartzite used at the site bk cut marks are compared with experimentally produced cut marks using 9 mineralogically different quartzite types from olduvai gorge this comparative analysis provides valuable hints about the exact nature of the raw materials used in butchering activities the results presented here identify a preferential use of quartzite with a finer granular composition suggesting that hominin populations were already selecting the best raw materials for their use in specific activities 1 3 mya

a new element of trampling an experimental application on the level xii faunal record of bolomor cave valencia spain in level xii of bolomor cave valencia spain modifications have been observed on some of the bone fragments that make up the faunal record these alterations consist of small notches located on the oblique fracture angles of some bones the frequency at which these modifications appear in the assemblage has obliged to plan several experimental series to know the process that causes them to be more exact this study aims to verify whether these small chips are the result of trampling for this purpose two experimental series have been developed the first of which has the objective of differentiating between the variables related to the original state of the bone green semi dry and dry and the second is aimed at reproducing the modifications observed in the archaeological set taking into account the data obtained in the previous series following these experiments the appearance of small notches is observed on the oblique fracture angles of some bones in semi dry state these resulting chips are similar to those documented in bolomor cave level xii therefore it is deduced that trampling is the principle cause of these modifications in the bone record this fact has important archaeological implications as the spatial distribution of this modification can provide information about the intrasite movements of the human groups