‘Geoarchaeology’ is the application of the methods and approaches used in the Earth Sciences (geology, geomorphology, geochemistry, geophysics, palaeontology, palaeobotany and chronometry) in order to answer archaeological questions.

Archaeological remains are both preserved within and themselves contain layers of sediment, and sediment is the primary source material for Earth scientists. Geoarchaeology is therefore universally relevant in archaeology - it can help predict where archaeological artefacts and features might have survived (or not), and tell us about the nature of that preservation. Geoarchaeological approaches also enable the reconstruction of past environments associated with archaeological sites, and how those environments were altered by human activity and climate change.

In short, geoarchaeological approaches can be helpful in many stages of an archaeological project, but can be particularly useful for:

• Finding and identifying archaeological sites and features
• Understanding how sites form ('site formation processes')
• Understanding the preservation of archaeological remains
• Identifying changes in the physical landscape and environment through time

Historic England have produced a useful guide to Geoarchaeology, including an explanation of the key methods and applications of the approach.

Read the Historic England guide to Geoarchaeology here.

Image top: Prof Keith Wilkinson and Dr Phil Marter extracting a core from its tube during boreholing. The cores are then wrapped, labelled and transported to our laboratories for analysis.