This thesis explores the independent effects of the manipulation of rocks into alignments, prehistoric farming, and season on soil properties in two areas with a history of prehistoric agriculture in central Arizona, Pueblo la Plata within the Agua Fria National Monument (AFNM), and an archaeological site north of the Phoenix basin along Cave Creek (CC). Soil properties, annual herbaceous biomass and the physical properties of alignments and surface soils were measured and compared across the landscape, specifically on: 1) agricultural rock alignments that were near the archaeological site 2) geologically formed rock alignments that were located 0.5-1 km away from settlements; and 3) areas both near and far from settlements where rock alignments were absent. At AFNM, relatively well-built rock alignments have altered soil properties and processes while less-intact alignments at CC have left few legacies.
Details
- Seasonality and ecosystem response in two prehistoric agricultural regions of central Arizona
- Trujillo, Jolene Eve (Author)
- Hall, Sharon J (Thesis advisor)
- Collins, Scott L. (Committee member)
- Spielmann, Katherine A. (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
- Ecology
- Soil Sciences
- Biology
- Agua Fria National Monument (AFNM)
- Arizona
- Cave Creek
- potential nitrogen mineralization
- Agriculture, Prehistoric
- semi-arid region
- Bioclimatology
- Soil ecology--Arizona.
- Soil Ecology
- Indians of North America--Agriculture--Arizona.
- Agriculture, Prehistoric--Arizona.
- Agriculture, Prehistoric