THE GEOARCHAEOLOGY OF PLACE - THE EFFECT OF GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON THE PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

Because the landscape on which prehistoric people lived was dynamic an d continually changed, the record of prehistoric activities across the landscape has been differentially presented and destroyed. insightful reconstructions of human organizational (settlement) systems from the archaeological record require a full understanding of the geological forces and history that have shaped that record. The landscape histori es of the North Dakota Badlands and the stream systems of southern Ari zona illustrate these points and the importance of geoarchaeological i nvestigations to properly interpret the archaeological record.