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Ben PearsPhD Research StudentBSc (Hons) Geology University of Derby 1998 - 2001 Start Date: 1st October 2005 tel: +44 1786
466540 |
Research Project
The nature and significance of black carbon particles in anthrosols, and their nutrient capabilities in contrasting rural occupation sites across North West Europe.
(Funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council, NERC).
The research is focussed upon areas of past agricultural practise, the creation and distribution of black carbon fragments (e.g. charcoal, char, soot, highly humified plant material, mineragenic material) in a range of cultural soils to determine the extent to which nutrients storage capacities are affected by their addition or absence.
The project will be conducted at three localities, Fair Isle, a remote, isolated, self contained context with limited manuring resources. The Netherlands, on two sites upon the distinctive brown and black ‘Plaggen’ soils with unique manuring processes, and on the Dingle Peninsula, south west Ireland where past work has shown that a distinctive calcareous sand based manure has been utilised. All the occupation sites will be of similar size and have continuous inhabitance from the early Middle Ages to the Modern Era.
The fieldwork will consist of coring across occupation sites to determine the spatial distribution of soils from different land use areas including kaleyards, infields, outfields and upland zones. This will be followed by the excavation of stratigically placed test pits in different land use areas to record in detail soil profiles and to take bulk samples to test pH, phosphate, Loss on Ignition and Magnetic Susceptibility, on the soil and elemental analysis (IPAES) on the black carbon particles to understand elemental composition and contaminants present. Micromorphological samples will also be taken to understand the occurrence of black carbon at a more detailed scale and allow multi-element analysis on the various forms of black carbon which are uncovered. Samples of heather, turf, grass, seaweed, peat will also be taken, to be burnt in the laboratory to create a suite of signature charcoal results for provenance assistance as well as leaching experiments to determine nutrient retention.
Memberships
Medieval Settlement Research Group (MSRG)
Previous Research Projects and Publications
Mudd, A. and Pears, B. (2008) Bronze Age Field System at Tower’s Fen, Thorney, Peterborough: Excavations at ‘Thorney Borrow Pit’ 2004-2005, British Archaeological Reports, British Series, 471
Jones R. and Pears, B. (forthcoming) A Landscape of Minor Lordship: the late medieval manorial complex, village and deer park of Wick Hamon, Northamptonshire
Jones R. and Pears, B. (2003) Excavation and Geophysical Survey at St Mary's Church, Whittlebury, Northamptonshire (Unpublished Interim Report, Whittlewood Project, University of Leicester)
Pears, B. (forthcoming) ‘The Geoarchaeology and Sedimentology of the Bishopstone Valley, Sussex’ Sussex Archaeological Collections.
Pears, B. (2002) ‘A Paleoenvironmental Assessment of the Bishopstone Valley, Sussex: A Geoarchaeological Perspective’. Sussex Past and Present, 98, 4 – 5.
Pears, B. (2002) A Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of Sedimentation in the Bishopstone Valley, Sussex: A Geoarchaeological Perspective. Unpublished MSc dissertation.
Pears, B. (2001) A Paleaoenvironmental Analysis of the Cretaceous Chalks in the Lewes Area of East Sussex. Unpublished BSc dissertation.
Test pit excavated on Fair Isle showing extensive building debris with dark grey, brown enhanced arable soil above.
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Two soil cores from Fair Isle of enhanced arable soils from (left) outfield context and (right) kaleyard context. |
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Charcoal fragment from a plaggic anthrosol.
