![[ International Annual Meetings - Home Page ]](images/banner.jpg "[ International Annual Meetings - Home Page ]")
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Convention Center, Exhibit Hall BC, Second Floor
Abstract:
Abstract
The Devoll River Valley is located approximately 16km northeast of Korce, Albania. The area ranges in width from 1km in the north to greater than 4km in the south and is composed of a wide floodplain and terraces sequences and is of archaeological interest. The objectives for this investigation were to study the soils and stratigraphy of the alluvium in the valley and the more mature landscapes such as the colluvial fans and older terraces in the area and to develop the age relationships of the major soils and landscapes. Alluvium in the valley was found to have a wide range of ages from Recent to mid-Pleistocene. The majority of the upland area is dominated by limestone bedrock while some areas of sedimentary rocks such as mudstone and shale while other areas have greenstone (serpentinite) as the major bedrock type. As a result of the variety of parent materials and the long history of alluvial deposition and weathering, the soil distribution is quite complex, made more so by the terracing in the upland areas. Seven soil units were delineated in the project area with three located in alluvial sediments, one in colluvial landscapes, and three in uplands developed mainly in sedimentary rocks. In many of the soil profiles newer material overlies older, buried paleosol horizons that date well into the Pleistocene. A plan for excavation of archaeological sites can be better directed by knowing the age relationships within the soil profiles in the Devoll River Valley.
The Devoll River Valley is located approximately 16km northeast of Korce, Albania. The area ranges in width from 1km in the north to greater than 4km in the south and is composed of a wide floodplain and terraces sequences and is of archaeological interest. The objectives for this investigation were to study the soils and stratigraphy of the alluvium in the valley and the more mature landscapes such as the colluvial fans and older terraces in the area and to develop the age relationships of the major soils and landscapes. Alluvium in the valley was found to have a wide range of ages from Recent to mid-Pleistocene. The majority of the upland area is dominated by limestone bedrock while some areas of sedimentary rocks such as mudstone and shale while other areas have greenstone (serpentinite) as the major bedrock type. As a result of the variety of parent materials and the long history of alluvial deposition and weathering, the soil distribution is quite complex, made more so by the terracing in the upland areas. Seven soil units were delineated in the project area with three located in alluvial sediments, one in colluvial landscapes, and three in uplands developed mainly in sedimentary rocks. In many of the soil profiles newer material overlies older, buried paleosol horizons that date well into the Pleistocene. A plan for excavation of archaeological sites can be better directed by knowing the age relationships within the soil profiles in the Devoll River Valley.