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Environmental Sampling
Date June 2006
Event ID 578489
Category Recording
Type Environmental Sampling
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578489
ND 45457 85895 In this PhD project high-resolution palaeoenvironmental records are being reconstructed as
described under Whaness Burn.
In June 2006 a 6.5m core was recovered from a large wetland (approx. 1250 x 250m). Three radiocarbon dates
have been obtained on this core – SUERC-17185 (6402 ±39 BP), SUERC-17186 (4864 ±38 BP), and SUERC-17187 (3238 ±78 BP).
Pollen, charcoal, non-pollen palynomorph and plant microstructure analyses on the core have shown that woodland decline at this site occurred at c6500 BP, much earlier than the generally accepted date for this event in Orkney of c5000 BP. Intensive pastoral activity occurred in the vicinity of the site during the Neolithic and this activity further intensified during the Bronze Age. Cereal cultivation also took place near the site at this time. Grazing activity declined at a later date, although low levels of arable cultivation continued. The timing of the decline in grazing activity is currently unclear.
Report: Orkney SMR (intended). Results to be included in University of Hull PhD thesis (2009)
Funder: The University of Hull and NERC
Michelle Farrell and M Jane Bunting (University of Hull), 2008
