In situ shallow subsurface soil spectroscopy (S4) is employed to survey three Native American archaeological sites in Kansas: the Kansas Monument site, the Fool Chief’s site, Tobias East, Tobias West. The resulting spectra enable the chemical characterization of the anthropogenic features. A reflectance probe attached to a mobile instrument recorded near infrared and visible diffuse reflectance spectra at each site on a grid pattern for a range of the depths from the surface down to 1 meter deep. Spectral data are obtained along with the electrical conductivity and the pressure needed to insert the probe into the soil. A limited set of core samples were extracted for chemical analysis. A principal component regression (PCR) involving the limited set of lab analyses of soil cores enabled the construction of a chemometric model capable of estimating chemical species concentrations on the full 3-D grid of spectral data. The resulting 3-D characterization three of the sites is rendered as contour plots of the chemical contents at each depth into the soil. Significant archaeological features can be characterized without excavation of the site. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectra and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) can identify in soil samples the presence of the decomposition products of animal or human burials. These spectroscopic methods can be used for the detection of burials whether at an archaeological site or at a modern crime scene. We propose the following applications: (1) characterization of archaeological sites, (2) forensic detection of clandestine burials, and (3) detection excess nutrients and other pollutants in soil relative to environmental concerns.

3-D mapping of the chemical contents of anthropogenic soils by the chemometric analysis of infrared and visible spectra

2019 Fall National Meeting

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