A Pilot Study Using Ground Penetrating Radar at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry Preserve/Wanhi Yukan (21MW0008)

We believe that our project achieved its intended impacts.

Short-Term Impacts
The most immediate, and most important impact of this project has been the sharing of information about the Chert Quarry with a diverse audience outside of the professional community. The first stage of the project was conducted as part of Hamline University's annual archaeological field school. Field school students, including some who were not Anthropology majors, had an opportunity to participate in the process of spatial and GPR data collection and learn about the archaeological and cultural dimensions of the site from previous researchers and cultural experts.

During both its first and second stages, the project was supported by the efforts of local volunteers who participated in various aspects of the field investigations. Although many of these individuals have made long-term contributions to research at the quarry, this project was an opportunity to share new information with them.

Finally, an unexpected short-term impact resulted from an invitation to contribute a brief summary of the project to The Archaeological Conservancy's magazine, American Archaeology. This summary was written by Dinneen and will be published in the Field Notes section of the Fall issue of The Archaeological Conservancy's magazine bringing information about the project to a wider audience of avocational archaeologists and the interested public.

Intermediate-Term Impacts
On a longer timeframe, the project has produced information that will be useful to researchers and site managers. Much of this information is now securely stored in the form of easily shared, electronic data including site maps, raw and processed GPR data, soil descriptions from the test excavation, and the inventory and description of the lithic assemblage recovered during the same. This assemblage has been prepared for curation to the standards of the Mower County Historical Society and will be permanently stored at the Mower County Historical Society where it will be available to researchers.

The results of the GPR survey strongly indicate the presence of subsurface features in both the cultivated and uncultivated portions of the preserve. This was supported by test excavation within the south grid in the restored prairie area. Excavation also revealed information about the depth of cultivation, the distribution of artifacts within the plow zone and soil conditions, which may be useful for the interpretation of GPR data collected in the future. Analysis of the artifacts recovered during test excavation provides a useful contribution to the developing understanding of lithic extraction and reduction at the site.

Long-Term Impacts
The most important long-term impact of this project has been to demonstrate the likelihood that GPR is an effective research tool at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry. HUCAS staff plans to prepare and submit for publication, a professional paper describing these results.

We hope that this outcome will motivate additional evaluation of this potentially important technology at the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry and facilitate continuing research at this important site.