APPLIED GEOARCHAEOLOGY AND QUATERNARY PALYNOLOGY LAB

AGQUAPAL

(APPLIED GEOARCHAEOLOGY AND QUATERNARY PALYNOLOGY LAB)

GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALYNOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Geoarchaeology is the application of earth science methods to archaeological research. Very often geoarchaeologists test properties of sediments and soils in order to add information to the reconstruction of ancient landscapes. The main purpose of palynology is the study of pollen and spores. Its main objective is to assist in the reconstruction of paleovegetation, which is one of the main parameters to reconstruct past climatic conditions and paleoenvironments. The Quaternary is the last geological period dating approximately from 1.8 million years ago. It is during this period that the present patterns of distribution of modern flora, fauna, and soils took shape. It is also the period that saw the appearance of humans. Very soon AGQUAPAL will carry phytolith research.

MISSION STATEMENT

The OSU Applied Geoarchaeology and Quaternary Palynology Lab (AGQPAL) is a research facility affiliated with the Geography Department at Oklahoma State University. AGQPAL is dedicated to analyses of soils, sediments, and the extraction and analysis of pollen and spores for reconstruction of Quaternary paleoenvironments. Currently the AGQPAL supports research carried out by OSU scholars and students in the areas of geoarchaeology and Quaternary studies. The lab also has projects in collaboration with other research centers, including the Oklahoma Archeological Survey (OAS), the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa, the Institute of Classical Archaeology at the University of Texas, the Institute of Lithic Technologies at the University of California at Riverside, and numerous other centers in the United States, Canada, Jordan, and Ukraine. The lab is also used for training students in techniques of soil, sediment, and pollen analysis, as well as a center for diffusion of Quaternary studies in the state of Oklahoma. It is expected that with future grants and donations AGQPAL will acquire equipment and personnel, as well as means for diversification.

LAB FACILITY

Location: Noble Research Center - Room 018

Telephone: (405) 744-6620

Equipment: The OSU AGQP has a fumehood, two centrifuges, hot bath, hot plates, and sieves.

Two reflecting microscopes and microphotographic equipment, and a video camera are used for analysis of pollen samples.

The lab pollen archives hold approximately 200 reference pollen samples collected in North America, Great Plains, the Chihuahuan Desert, the Middle East and the Black Sea Region. A similar number of samples for soil and sediment analysis have been collected in the same regions.

Ancillary equipment not directly related to pollen analysis includes a furnace and a particle size analyzer (Sedigraph 5100).