The impact of mining activities on the environment reflected by pollen,charcoal and geochemical analyses

This article presents results of a multi-proxy study of a fen deposit in the former mining district of Falkenstein near Schwaz in the Tyrol, Austria. The aim of the study in the framework of the special research program HiMAT (The History of Mining Activities in the Tyrol and Adjacent Areas – Impact on Environment & Human Societies) was to disclose the ecological impact of mining in pollen and heavy metal diagrams and to create a model combining the changes in palaeoecological proxies with historical evidences for mining. The application of this palaeoecological–historical model to prehistoric times allowed us to reconstruct the impact of mining and metallurgic activities in the surroundings of the fen during the last millennia. The results of stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, LOI, pollen and micro-charcoal analyses as well as geochemical analyses of scandium, lead and lead isotopes validated by historical and archaeological data are hereby presented.     

Sulfur and iron analyses of marine archaeological wood in shipwrecks from the Baltic Sea and Scandinavian waters

Analyses of marine archaeological wood from shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea area, Kronan, Riksnyckeln, Tattran, the Puck Bay Boat and the Ghost wreck, and at the Scandinavian West coast, the Göta wreck, Stora Sofia and the Viking shipwrecks of Skuldelev, show accumulation of sulfur compounds. The penetration profiles of sulfur and iron into the wood and the speciation of characteristic sulfur groups were evaluated by combining X-ray spectroscopic analyses, in particular S K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) and X-ray fluorescence, with ESCA and elemental analyses. The combined analyses support the hypothesis that hydrogen sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria reacts and accumulates at low iron concentration mainly as organically bound sulfur, which as in previous studies was found by X-ray spectro-microscopy to accumulate in lignin-rich parts of the wood cell walls. The presence of iron(II) ions from corroding iron promotes formation of pyrite and other iron(II) sulfides, which easily oxidise in aerobic conditions with high humidity. No significant differences in sulfur and iron accumulation were found in wood from shipwrecks in the east coast brackish water and the west coast seawater. Sediments from three wreck sites, the Göta wreck, Stora Sofia and Kronan, were analyzed to a depth of a few decimeters and showed especially at the Stora Sofia high sulfur concentrations, exceeding 3 mass%. S K-edge XANES analyses of the sediments showed mainly reduced forms of sulfur, in particular pyrite and iron(II) sulfides together with elemental sulfur.     

Australian Cainozoic Bryozoa, 1: Nudicella gen. nov. (Onychocellidae,Cheilostomata): taxonomy,palaeoenvironments and biogeography

The new bryozoan genus Nudicella (Onychocellidae, Cheilostomata) is proposed to accommodate the common and widespread Australian Cainozoic cheilostome bryozoan Eschara clarkei Tenison Woods, which is redescribed and subdivided into four species: N. clarkei (Tenison Woods), N. cribriforma sp. nov., N. latiramosa sp. nov. and N. tenuis sp. nov. Cellaria gigantea Maplestone is also reassigned to Nudicella. Colonies of this genus display a wide variety of growth forms, including cribrate fenestrate, flat robust branching, foliose, delicate branching and encrusting; their occurrences correlate with changes in sedimentary facies and palaeoenvironments. The distinctive cribrate style of fenestrate growth form has evolved convergently in unrelated bryozoan groups at various geological intervals. It is found in a wide variety of sedimentary facies, as in other coexisting opportunistic genera such as Celleporaria, indicating a wide ecological tolerance. The oldest recorded occurrence of Nudicella is in the Paleocene of north western Australia. From there it appears to spread south in the Eocene and then east towards the Otway Basin in southeastern Australia, where it occurs in the Oligocene and Miocene; no post-Miocene representatives of this genus are yet known.     

Academic work as radical practice: getting in,creating a space,not giving up

This paper makes three key points. First, beginning with a personal narrative on the radical practice of getting into the academy, it argues that scholars with non‐traditional academic trajectories must still be able to be competitive in employment rounds. Second, it outlines three particular pedagogies of radical practice: focussing on subjectivities; using local languages; and developing peer learning. Finally, it argues that active scholarly citizens bring intellectual agility that allows for creative, imaginative, and just development thinking and practice.     

A pilot study of “black chert” sourcing and implications for assessing hunter-gatherer mobility strategies in Northern England

Mesolithic hunter-gatherer logistic strategies and raw material procurement locales have been topics of considerable interest in northern England, accelerated by the early discoveries at Star Carr. Here we present the results of a pilot study investigating the potential for geochemically sourcing “black chert”, a material with similar qualities to flint but of inland limestone origin, using ICP-AES, ICP-MS and LA-ICP-MS. Several geological sources of black chert are known, and it is commonly present at upland Mesolithic sites along the Pennine chain. Four geological sources were sampled and analysed, along with a small sample of black chert artefacts from two upland Pennine archaeological sites. The results demonstrate that the four sampled sources can be easily differentiated from one another chemically. This research reveals the potential to apply this approach at a larger scale; the archaeological sample together with the source results indicate that additional sources will need to be identified and sampled before such data can be applied to address current questions of the Mesolithic of northern England.