Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), locational analysis was performed for prehistoric sites recorded during a 1985 surface survey conducted in Henry County, Indiana. Two sensitivity models were developed to identify areas more likely to contain substantial archaeological resources. Both models were based on environmental data derived largely from soil survey information. An intuitive model was created and "blindly" applied to the study area. This model did not interpret the distribution of sites very well. During development of an alternative model, the 1985 survey data was more thoroughly investigated. Site locations were found to be correlated with Soil Conservation Service drainage categories. In upland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts clustered around pockets of very poorly drained Millgrove loam soils. In lowland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts exhibited a preference for well drained soils. Before and during analysis, the integrity of source data was investigated. A United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute digital elevation model was found to be unsuitable for analysis within the study area. Mapping errors were discovered within the 1985 survey data. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which can increase the spatial integrity of survey data, was demonstrated and used to register and adjust source data. A mapping-grade GPS base station was established at Ball State University. / Department of Anthropology

The purpose of this project was to determine if the human skeletal remains of two distinct Native American cemeteries, found in close geographic proximity, represent the same population. These archaeological sites are similar in location and artifacts. Burial practices, however, vary between the sites. These differences may represent class distinction or a difference in the times the cemeteries were used. Radiocarbon techniques have given dates of AD 230±300 and AD 635±105 for these two sites. Several methods of DNA isolation were compared for their ability to yield PCR amplifiable DNA. DNA isolation using a combination of CTAB and phenol/chloroform/isoamyl alcohol (24:24:1) provided the best results and yielded amplifiable DNA form two individuals, Hn I (8F-410) and Hn 10 ( 27F-8-14 b). Purification of the DNA by extraction from low melting agarose gel was required prior to PCR, and PCR conditions were optimized to maximize the DNA yields. Regions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome of isolated DNA were amplified by PCR using primers which are specific for the HincII region of the mtDNA genome. Inability of restriction enzyme HincII to digest the amplified DNA of these two individuals suggested that they belong to the Native American mtDNA lineage C characterized by the loss of this restriction site. / Department of Anthropology

Three streams with watersheds of different land uses (urban, agricultural, and forested) were chosen for this study. A composite sample of diatoms was obtained from small rocks in a riffle of each stream and identified to genera. Water chemistry measurements included chloride, sulfate, nitrate, conductivity, pH, alkalinity and temperature.Conductivity, chloride, and sulfate were significantly higher in the urban watershed and lowest in the forested watershed. However, the forested watershed had the highest levels of nitrate, which may have come from groundwater or organic matter decomposition. Alkalinity, pH andtemperature did not vary among watersheds.Diatom diversity was significantly higher in the forested watershed. Several diatom genera, Amphora, Cymbella and Gyrosigma, were positively correlated with nitrate and negatively correlated with conductivity, chloride and sulfate, which indicate their potential use as indicators of water quality. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Fire-cracked rock is often overlooked in archaeology. This study attempted to determine whether or not fire-cracked rock from the surface of an archaeological site located in a cultivated field can be differentiated from other cracked rocks. A study sample of 67 rocks from the surface of a prehistoric site located in a cultivated field and another study sample of 58 rocks from an adjacent area that was sterile of prehistoric human activities was collected. A third sample of 70 fire-cracked rocks excavated from features below the plowzone in a prehistoric site served as a control sample. The fracture surface morphologies of the control sample were examined for distinguishing characteristics, which were then compared to the study samples. Those cracked rocks from the study samples which exhibited similar characteristics were identified as fire-cracked rock. Ten fire-cracked rocks were thus observed within the on-site sample and the offsite sample included only one. / Department of Anthropology