The Nagsabaran Shell Midden Site: A Soil Micromorphological Approach

Abstract

Soil micromorphological analysis was applied to the sediment samples taken from the archaeological site of Nagsabaran, Northern Luzon, Philippines. The first sample comes from the interface of a bivalve shell midden deposit and a massive layer of silty clay loam; the second was taken from the latter layer and the  third, which is a dark brown silty clay deposit. Analyses of the two samples show that the pedology of the area is based on a fluvial pyroclastic deposit. The particles are sub­angular, indicating that they were transported from a short distance. Thin­ sections from the lower layer show geogenic formation. Charcoal was observed in the thin­sections but this could not be associated with human activity. Particles of black pottery were also observed in this silty clay layer. These results have great implications in understanding the chronological relationship between black and red­slipped pottery in the area.