Sunday 8 August 2010

Introduction to 2010 fieldwork

This year's fieldwork comprises new survey in the Lac de l'Eychauda area of the Ecrins National Park and also in the highest altitudes in the Faraval area. As well as differential GPS survey of strcutures, we are looking for flint scatters. Also, our colleague, Brigitte Talon from the Institut Méditerranéen d'Ecologie et de Paléoécologie is carrying out a pedoanthracological study of the two areas. This work comprises the excavation of soil pits and the sampling of sediments from which charcoal is then extracted, and the identified in the laboratory. The charcoal can be radiocarbon dated and we thus develop a clear image of how vegetation has changed over the centuries. The comparisson of the charcoal data with that already obtained from pollen diagrams allows us to address issues of human and climatic impacts on Alpine vegetation.

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