Over the past few decades, the Glenn Black Laboratory has developed considerable expertise in the application of geoarchaeological and geophysical methods to solving archaeological problems, believing that the integration of archaeology, earth science, and information processing represents a critical new direction for American archaeology. This multidisplinary approach to archaeological research continues the mission of the GBL to lead Indiana archaeology by pioneering innovative and visionary prehistoric research directions. With the current personnel, background and institutional experience, the GBL is one of the leaders in applying earth science and geophysics methods and practices to archaeological research. The GBL now offers these services to the public and Cultural Resources Management (CRM) firms to aid in protecting our cultural heritage. From the standpoint of applied archaeology, the GBL has one of the most extensive equipment lists, including drilling, coring, and sophisticated geophysical instruments in all of the CRM industry and, more importantly, also has the expertise and experience to efficiently and effectively use that equipment in applied archaeological studies. Please contact G. William Monaghanfor more information on rates and how geoarchaeology or geophysical techniques can be integrated with your CRM or archaeological project.

Geoarchaeology
With over 20 years experience in geoarchaeology, the staff at the GBL have guided the environmental and geoarchaeological research of nearly 100 CRM projects from a broad range of archaeological and geological settings throughout the Eastern and Midwestern USA. These include large-scale pipeline and highway corridor studies that required extensive regional synthesis and close integration with the Phase I, II, and III archaeological studies, deep test projects that accurately and cost-effectively explore for buried sites, and smaller-scaled individual archaeological projects. For example, G. William Monaghan brings a breadth of experience in Quaternary geology, sedimentology, pedology, archaeology, and prehistoric site formation rarely encompassed by other CRM teams. Click herefor more information on Geoarchaeology research program at the GBL.

Geophysics
Geophysical application to archaeology has been part of research at the GBL for almost 50 years. In fact, Glenn Black conducted the very first magnetic survey on an archaeological site in North America at Angel Mounds site in 1962. More recently, the lab’s research fellow Staffan Petersonhas continued this work completed the magnetic survey of the entire Angel site. Over the past decade, the GBL has expanded its geophysical expertise and experience to include all the major types of geophysical commonly employed on sites, including magnetometry, Electrical Resistivity and Conductivity (ER and EC), ground penetrating radar (GPR) as well as borehole geophysics. These have been applied to a variety of sites types, including large prehistoric villages and small encampments as well as historic pioneer cemetery sites, throughout the Midwestern USA. Click herefor more information on geophysics research program at the GBL.

Equipment
The Laboratory is equipped and staffed to undertake most archaeological field and laboratory investigations. The GBL maintains several different types of magnetometers, electrical conductivity and resistivity instruments as well as other state-of-the-art surveying, mapping and geodetic location instruments. In addition to hand tools like bucket augurs and soil probes used for geoarchaeological fieldwork, the GBL also owns a GeoProbe direct push hydraulic drilling rig capable of deriving continuous solid earth cores to analyze and explore for buried archaeological sites or provide low-impact on-site subsurface investigations. Transportation for Laboratory field projects is provided by vehicles owned by the Laboratory. The Laboratory also maintains an extensive array of analytical equipment to undertake detailed analyses of archaeological deposits and artifacts, including a Floe-Tech floatation machine for obtaining paleobotanical and microartifactual data and a Hund Wetzlar metallurgical microscope (50X-1000X) for lithic, ceramic and microwear analyses. Because it is a part of the Indiana University research community, the GBL can call on the analytical resources of other departments and units on campus. These range from X-Ray diffraction and florescence equipment and petrographic microscopes for lithic and ceramic analysis from the Department of Geology to Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and soil and sediment analysis from the Indiana Geological Survey. Click herefor complete list of research equipment available at the GBL.

Experience
The Glenn Black Laboratory and its personnel have been involved in several significant local and national projects. These were funded through private and public sources and involved a diverse mix of local, state and federal divisions including national agencies like the United States Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Prisons, state-level Historic Preservation Offices and Department of Transportations extending from Virginia through Minnesota, as well as many local Indiana public and private sources. A few of these projects are highlighted below. Click herefor list of geoarchaeology projects and publications from the GBL.