Recent landscape history in arid western New South Wales, Australia: a model for regional change

Fanning, Patricia

doi:10.1016/s0169-555x(99)00014-8

Cited by 71 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The processes involved in their formation have the potentialtovaryconsiderably,dependingonthegeomorphicsettingandhumanoccupationhistory,but detailed geomorphological and stratigraphic research of numerous surface archaeological contexts in western NSW reveals a similar story (Fanning 1999(Fanning , 2000Fanning and Holdaway 2001), as described brieflybelow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In western NSW, however, the stratigraphic records of upland catchments are dominated by erosion(FanningandHoldaway2001;Holdawayetal.2004).Acceleratederosioncausedbyovergrazing bycattleandsheepoverthepast150yearsistheprincipaldeterminantofthecurrenthighvisibilityof archaeological material at the surface (Fanning 1999. Once uncovered, however, these surface archaeological deposits have a very limited lifespan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bird and Frankel 1993;Fanning et al 2008;Holdaway et al 2008) This issue has proven to be very difficult to resolve, especially in western NSW where the bulk of the archaeological record consists of surface material. Scatters of stone artefacts and associated heatretainer hearths are visible on the surface because of erosion, the product of overgrazing of domestic stock since the mid to late nineteenth century (Fanning 1994(Fanning , 1999. It can be very difficult to estimate the age of many of these surface deposits since the same erosion that has exposed them has removed the possibility of determining age through conventional approaches to interpreting archaeological stratigraphy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Directions in Archaeological Science (TA28)

Marwick¹,

Fairbairn²,

O’Connor³

2009

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terra australis 28Terra Australis reports the results of archaeological and related research within the south and east of Asia, though mainly Australia, New Guinea and island Melanesia -lands that remained terra australis incognita to generations of prehistorians. Its subject is the settlement of the diverse environments in this isolated quarter of the globe by peoples who have maintained their discrete and traditional ways of life into the recent recorded or remembered past and at times into the observable present.Since the beginning of the series, the basic colour on the spine and cover has distinguished the regional distribution of topics as follows: ochre for Australia, green for New Guinea, red for South-East Asia and blue for the Pacific Islands. From 2001, issues with a gold spine will include conference proceedings, edited papers and monographs which in topic or desired format do not fit easily within the original arrangements. All volumes are numbered within the same series. List of volumes in Terra AustralisVolume 1: Burrill Lake and Currarong: Coastal Sites in Southern New South Wales. R.J. Lampert (1971) Volume 2: Ol Tumbuna: Archaeological Excavations in the Eastern Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea. J.P. White (1972) Volume 3 Since its inception, the conference has been an important meeting place for the widely dispersed and diverse community of Australasian archaeological scientists, including both those resident in the region, primarily in Australia and New Zealand, as well as Australasians working around the world. The 2005 meeting at ANU was the first to be held there since 1991 and was the venue for the presentation of 79 papers in 10 sessions covering all aspects of archaeological science from analytical chemistry to GIS, fire histories and ancient technology. The linking concept with all of the sessions was the integration of archaeological science research within broader archaeological projects -in other words forwarding interpretations alongside consideration of method. Over 120 delegates from 6 countries attended the lecture sessions which were accompanied by a poster session, plenary lecture and several workshops. Student participation was especially encouraged and, partly as a result of industry and University sponsorship (see below), subsidised places and travel bursaries helped to boost student delegates to almost one third of the overall total attendance. One of the key roles of the AAC has been to promote the work of the region's archaeological scientists by producing refereed publications of conference papers. As academic publication has radically changed in recent years so has the publication format and venues for conference publications. Rather than producing a single conference proceedings, papers from the 2005 AAC can be found in a variety of international journals, including Lithic Technology, Internet Archaeology, Archaeometry and the Journal of Archaeological Science. This volume presents original research papers from three key subject areas covered in the conferenc...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Directions in Archaeological Science (TA28)

Marwick¹,

Fairbairn²,

O’Connor³

2009

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“…Extensive areas of stony ("gibber") and bare surfaces mantle the slopes and plains. Changes in vegetation cover (Johnson et al, 2005) and geomorphic processes occurred with the shift from Indigenous hunter-gathering to Europeanstyle pastoralism in the 19th century (Fanning, 1994(Fanning, , 1999Noble & Tongway, 1986;Pickard, 1994). Topsoil lost from the hillslopes was deposited on valley floors as laminated and cross-bedded sandy sediments [variously termed post-settlement alluvium (PSA) or post-European material (PEM); Gore et al, 2000:117].…”

Section: The Geomorphic Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Topsoil lost from the hillslopes was deposited on valley floors as laminated and cross-bedded sandy sediments [variously termed post-settlement alluvium (PSA) or post-European material (PEM); Gore et al, 2000:117]. Streams then incised into the valley fills, forming knickpoints that can move rapidly up the main and tributary channels in response to high-magnitude rainfall events (Fanning, 1999). Renewed erosion on the valley floors followed, leaving hard-setting, saline subsoils exposed at the surface upon which archaeological materials, mostly stone artifacts, now rest.…”

Section: The Geomorphic Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

The surface archaeological record in arid Australia: Geomorphic controls on preservation, exposure, and visibility

et al. 2009

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The conventional approach to assessing the archaeological record in most parts of the world involves a combination of excavation of stratified deposits and extensive survey of surface deposits. Although widely applied in Australia, in both research-based and management archaeology, the method does not conform well to the nature of the surface archaeological record here. Over much of semi-arid and arid Australia, archaeological "sites" are, in fact, accretion phenomena that are not easily interpreted as the outcome of short-term behavioral events. Using results from twelve years of geoarchaeological research in western New South Wales, we demonstrate that there is considerable variability in landsurface age, and hence the "availability" of archaeological surfaces, over relatively short distances. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that stone artifact deposits, for example, that appear to be similar in character are of similar age. Data are also presented that demonstrate that the presence of artifacts on the surface, their apparent absence in sediments buried beneath the surface, and the apparent recent ubiquity of the archaeological record are all a function of geomorphic processes that, at the same time, expose some artifact deposits at the surface and erode and bury others amid large volumes of sediment. Interpreting the surface artifact record within a spatial and temporal geomorphic framework is crucial to understanding the past human behavior that the artifact deposits represent.

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Unprecedented wind erosion and perturbation of surface geochemistry marks the Anthropocene in Australia

et al. 2014

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Australia, the last continent to undergo industrial development, is an ideal environment in which to quantify the magnitude of human‐induced environmental change during the Anthropocene because its entire agricultural and industrial history has occurred within this period. Analysis of an alpine peat mire showed that rapid industrial and agricultural development (both pastoral and cropping) over the past 200 years has resulted in significant environmental change in Australia. Beginning in the 1880s, rates of wind erosion and metal enrichment were up to 10 and 30 times that of background natural conditions, respectively. Increased dust deposition and an expansion in dust source areas were found to map the progression of European farming across the continent, while dust deposition pulses in the mire matched known land degradation events. After 1990 dust deposition decreased, returning to pre‐1880 rates. This was attributed to three factors: net soil loss following more than a century of agricultural activity, increased environmental awareness and soil conservation, and changing windiness. Metal enrichment in the mire reached approximately 2 times natural background accumulation rates by the 1980s as Australia's mining industry expanded. However, metal enrichment continued to increase after the 1980s reaching an average of ~5 times background rates by 2006 and reflecting increased mineral resource development in Australia. Collectively, the results show that changes to Australia's geochemical and sedimentary systems, as a result of agricultural and industrial development, have profoundly changed the Australian environment during the past two centuries.

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Recent landscape history in arid western New South Wales, Australia: a model for regional change

Cited by 71 publications

References 21 publications

New Directions in Archaeological Science (TA28)

New Directions in Archaeological Science (TA28)

The surface archaeological record in arid Australia: Geomorphic controls on preservation, exposure, and visibility

Unprecedented wind erosion and perturbation of surface geochemistry marks the Anthropocene in Australia

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