Rocking field research in Greece
In May, Bella and Dr. Snyder set off to map rocks in the southern Peloponnese region of Greece. For a month, they conducted fieldwork in the Mani Peninsula, mapping metasedimentary rocks as part of a SSHRC-funded archaeological project (PI – Dr. Chelsea Gardner from History and Classics at Acadia). One of the most exciting discoveries (at least in Bella’s opinion) was a rock informally dubbed Pottery Breccia—the ultimate intersection of archaeology and geology. This unusual rock formed through karst processes, where a cavern filled with pottery fragments and sediment, eventually lithifying into a single solid mass. So cool! Samples from the field are now at Acadia, where they’ll be processed and studied further. Interpretation of the area will continue throughout the year, with the goal of returning next season to build expand on the mapping area.
Bella measuring strike and dip with the help of Achilles, a cat who followed us around all day.
Dr. Snyder, standing on a limestone ridge near the southernmost-point on mainland Greece