Geochemical and geophysical prospecting at three multicomponent sites in the Southwestern Lake Erie Basin: A pilot study

We explore the application of an inexpensive and less-invasive method of discovering community patterning at a series of complex sites in the glacio-lacustrine region of northern Ohio. In this pilot study we employ systematic soil phosphate (SP) and soil magnetic susceptibility (MS) analyses on these three northeast Ohio archaeological sites. This is the first such effort in the Lake Erie Basin to combine SP and MS surveys to understand site activity structure. We investigate activity patterning at three northern Ohio habitation sites: White Fort (33Ln2), a multi-component, Late Prehistoric (Sandusky Tradition) site in Lorain County; Burrell Orchard (33Ln15), a multi-component site with a substantial Late Archaic component in Lorain County; and Heckelman (33Er14), a multi-component Woodland Period enclosure and habitation in Erie County. The analysis of SP was complicated by extremely high values, in one case reaching an apparent saturation point, and complex occupation histories. The combination of both MS and P makes for a robust survey strategy to identify details of activity structure even at places with complex and overlapping use histories. We demonstrate the promise and problems of this analytical technique and shed light on the applicability of this method of prospection to the glacio-lacustrine region of Ohio. Especially when used in a multi-pronged research design, soil analysis is a powerful supplement to traditional techniques that enables whole-site analysis without full excavation.