The mounds at LSU (LSU Campus Mounds) are believed to date back to the Archaic Period (way before the Mike the Tiger was thought about), which would put them at about 5,000 years old. They are a part of a larger system of mounds in Louisiana, and these two mounds are believed to be for "ceremonial and marking point purposes". The mounds were dated in the 1982 to be this old and this would make them the mound system in North America, Mesoamerica or South America and also means they predate the Great Pyramids in Egypt. (wiki)
The mounds overlook the flood plain of the Mississippi River. The northern mound (mound 2 on map) consist of hard clay dirt and the southern mound (mound 1) is more porous. The two 20' tall mounds get heavy traffic due to the campus and gradually began to show signs erosion (foot traffic and natural). In 1985, the university installed a sidewalk between these mounds and a low brick wall was placed around each mound to prevent traffic over the mounds. The natural erosion still continued and in 1996 an erosion control project using river silt patched the damaged mounds and seeded grass to prevent future problems. Since 1999, they have been on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2010, "Save the Mounds" campaign was started to preserve the mounds that are thought to have structural damage and may one day collapse. This campaign is continued today by fencing off the mounds on game day to prevent high foot traffic and LSU tailgaters. (wiki)
Things you need to know to claim the smile....
- Silt is a granular material in the size between sand and clay. Silt may occur as a soil or sediment mixed in suspension with water (like in a river).
- Stratigraphy is a very important concept to archaeologists and geologists alike. It is defined as the arrangement of layers (or strata) of soil below the surface including strata created by prehistoric cultures at archaeological sites. Based on basic geological principles, we know that the lowest layers, in most cases, are those that were deposited first. As archaeologists dig into the earth, they are actually digging through different layers of sediments. These layers each represent a different period of time and generally as you dig deeper, the further back in time you get. Therefore, examination of the sequence of layers can provide a story or timeline of use at the site. (lsu.edu)
- The Mississippi River is the largest drainage system in North America flowing nearly 2,320 miles total and has tributaries as far as Canada. There is 29 locks and dams along the upper Mississippi River created in the 1930s (mostly above St. Louis). These along with the levees, protect, contain and maintain a minimum of 9' depth down the river so barges can navigate the river. Although periodic "high" flows of water due to natural occurances like a hurricane can increase the water level near the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, the floodways that have been contructed since the 1950s, have lessened the likelihood of a flood.
Questions: Email or message me the answer to the first 5 question below within 24 hours of logging the find (include your team members too). Do not post the answers in your log.
List the GC code (GC626XR)
1. What type of geological materials make up the two mounds here and what differs between the two?
2. What has modern man done to control the natural and unnatural erosion of these mounds? (3 answers listed above)
3. Now the work has been done to the mounds to preserve them, is there any visible differences between the east side (stadium side) of the mounts and the west side?
4. Assuming the mounds were the same height when created, which has seen more height reduction due to erosion?
5. (Optional) Post a picture of your team with the mount(s) in the background.