The Mountains Burnt: Forest Fires and Site Formation Processes

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the effect of forest fires on the archaeological context in a mountainous environment. As Schiffer (1987) has pointed out, understanding environmental formation processes is integral to understanding site formation. Regional-scale processes, such as forest fires, have important site-level effects. By examining these effects in areas burned during the 1988 Yellowstone fires and by concurrently excavating nearby sites, site formation processes related to forest fires were examined. Important effects of fire which may be noted at the site-level include: 1) the mosaic burn pattern, where sharp boundaries are present between burned and unburned areas, 2) morphological changes to stone or bone should be limited to the charred layer representing the burn or within several centimeters below it, 3) specific oxidized soil features, and 4) ash pockets.