Definition
Arctic geoarchaeology is concerned with how natural processes affect archaeological site formation in high-latitude northern environments. Perhaps the most significant site formation issue that produces the most serious problems in Arctic geoarchaeology is cryoturbation, which is the effect of repetitive freezing and thawing on sediment and soil. Frost heaving, gelifluction, and ice wedging are the most common cryoturbation processes that can significantly alter archaeological site matrices, disturbing stratigraphic order and displacing artifacts vertically and horizontally.
Frost heaving
Frost heaving results from upward movement of ground materials during freeze-thaw events (Taber, 1929). At archaeological sites, this process can reorient artifacts and ecofacts (Johnson and Hansen, 1974; Johnson et al., 1977). Much of the Arctic is underlain by permafrost, which is soil or other substrate that is permanently frozen, often to great depths. In the warm months, the upper,...
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Graf, K.E. (2017). Arctic Geoarchaeology: Site Formation Processes. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_182
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