Contributions of archaeology to the study of erosion along the rocky Maine coast
- Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States). Dept. of Anthropology
The study of coastal erosion is a geological concern: however, erosion is a serious problem for the study of Maine's prehistory. Over 3,000 shell midden sites occur along maine's coast and virtually all of them are subject to coastal erosion despite the fact that the majority of the coast is steep and rocky. Geological literature on coastal erosion has focused on cliffed and unconsolidated coasts with little attention to convoluted rocky coasts. Archaeology has contributed to the study of coastal erosion in Maine in three important ways. The first is by calling attention to the problem. Prior to 1982 coastal erosion was seen as a geological hazard affecting only limited areas of the coast where thick glaciomarine sediments are subject to landslides. Archaeological research showed that significant erosion is common and wide spread. The second contribution is a focus on the much smaller scale of erosion affecting most areas. The scale of erosion affecting archaeological sites is the same as that which affects individual coastal property owners. The third contribution is in directly providing data on the rate of coastal erosion. The rate of erosion can be measured against historically documented dimensions of particular archaeological sites and by statistical studies of region site distributions. Interaction between archaeologists and geologists has brought different perspectives to the problem of coastal erosion resulting in valuable insights and understanding.
- OSTI ID:
- 5932997
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-921058-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 24:7; Conference: 1992 annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Cincinnati, OH (United States), 26-29 Oct 1992; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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