213-5 Ancient Vegetative Histories of Potential Agricultural Soils near Lowland Maya Sites of Blue Creek and Lamanai, Belize, and El Zotz, Guatemala.



Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Justin Babbel1, Robert Glover1, Richard Terry1, Tmothy Beach2 and Tmothy Beach3, (1)Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
(2)Georgetown University, Washington, DC
(3)George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
The ancient vegetative histories of soils at the lowland Maya sites of Blue Creek and Lamanai Belize and El Zotz in Northern Guatemala were determined by stable C isotope analysis of the humin fraction.  Profiles were characterized chemically and physically to determine the soil resources available for ancient Maya agriculture.   A record of ancient C4 vegetation associated with maize agriculture was identified in several of these soils.
See more from this Division: ASA Section: Environmental Quality
See more from this Session: Interdisciplinary Environmental Quality Issues In the Tropics