From a geomorphological point of view, and environments are characterised by complex process interactions and suites of landforms which can be sensitive to their controlling parameters. Relationships between sediment, moisture and soil crust characteristics are no exception. Field research and a programme of laboratory study were undertaken between 1993 and 1995 on the soils of the northern Badia of Jordan to advance knowledge on aspects of and zone soil dynamics, with a particular emphasis on crusting. The research focuses primarily on the effect soil crusts have upon the equilibrium of sediment dynamics at a hillslope scale and a ridge-furrow scale. The implications of the crust upon moisture storage within the surface layers of the soil are examined and the spatial characteristics which arise due to management practices and climate variables considered. A new, non-destructive dielectric technique to investigate moisture content in dryland soils has been developed and tested. Monitoring has taken place to examine the effects of irrigation upon the surface characteristics of the surrounding soil, with special reference to evaporation fluxes within a furrow and the associated precipitation of salts. The role of small-scale topography tends to be underestimated. Different types of crust have been studied from various topographic locations. Soil fabric and porosity have been studied, to increase understanding of micro-scale depositional and erosional processes. A new method of tracing' fine material through the upper soil profile has been developed. As crusts form, the tracer can be used to monitor the movement of fines, permitting a much clearer understanding of soil and water dynamics as a result of rainfall events.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 1992. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Considéré comme la matérialité de l’espace, le sol est un élément déterminant en archéologie pour la compréhension de l’habitat. Au regard « de l’absence » des sols néolithiques, les recherches sur l’habitat dans le Nord de la France sont basées sur les structures en creux. Pour la fin du Néolithique, ceci est un problème puisque seuls quelques plans de bâtiments sont connus et les fréquents sites peu stratifiés à concentrations de mobilier sont peu documentés. Dans trois quarts des cas, les attributs du mobilier (à plat, domestique…) suggèreraient des sols d’occupation préservés, et donc des habitats potentiels. En questionnant la relation Société-Sol, la démarche géoarchéologique, fondée sur la micromorphologie, vise à déterminer les processus de formation de ces couches pour interroger le caractère préservé des sols d’occupation ainsi que la nature des activités humaines enregistrées. Ces recherches s’assoient sur l’étude de cinq sites à concentrations de mobilier (Gas, Sours, Poupry, Pussigny et Maillé), découverts en Beauce et en Touraine par l’archéologie préventive. L’élaboration d’un modèle qualitatif du sol néolithique, exprimé par une classification de micro-ethnofaciès, a permis d’identifier sa nature, de confirmer le statut d’habitat de ces sites et de discuter des modes d’occupation des sols. La pratique des terrassements pour l’implantation des habitats semble généralisée, tout comme l’emploi de la terre crue pour la construction des sols et des bases de murs. Si des variations semblent apparaitre dans les espaces intérieurs, les résultats pour les sols extérieurs permettent de proposer un modèle théorique de l’organisation spatiale de l’espace de cour. / Considered as the materiality of space, floor is a crucial element in archaeology to understand the settlement. Regarding the “lack” of neolithic floors, the researches of settlements in North of France, are established from negative features. For the end of Neolithic, this is truly a problem because only few plans of buildings are discovered and the sites with very thin and massive anthropogenic layers are common, but not well documented. In three-quarters of cases, the characteristics of materials (flat, domestic…) would suggest preserved floors, and so, potential settlements. Answering the relation Society-Soil, the geoarchaeological approach, based on micromorphology of soil, pursue to characterise the processes of formation of thin layers to question the preserved aspect of floors and the nature of human activities recorded. The searches are seated on the study of five sites à thin layer with concentrations of materials, discovered in Beauce and Touraine by survey archaeology. The elaboration of qualitative models of neolithic floor, expressed by a classification of micro-ethnofaciès, leads to identify its nature, to confirm the status of the settlement of its type of sites. The earthwork practice of the implantation of a settlement seems extensive, as well as, the use of earthen materials to the construction of floors and walls. If spatial organisation of interior space remains difficult to approach, the results lead to propose a theoretical model of courtyard spaces.