Comparative Examination of Eastern Washington's Mima Mounds Using GIS and Remote Sensing
Faculty Mentor
Brian Buchanan
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
May 2025
End Date
May 2025
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Geosciences
Abstract
The future site of an EWU-hosted archaeological field school at Escure Ranch/ Rock Creek Recreation Area, is home to both the traditional lands of several Inland Northwest Tribes, but also curious geological formations known as “Mima Mounds”. These mounds remain an interesting enigma for geologists and archaeologists alike. Their somewhat circular and regular spacing patterns have been the topic of much discussion since colonization began in the Americas, but more specifically in the scientific community, for the last 100 years. It is the aim of this presentation, to examine the accepted mound origin theories, give a comprehensive overview of their make-up, typology, variations, and locations across the U.S., along with a one-to-one examination of Mima mounds found on both the western and eastern side of Washington state. This examination will showcase some similarities and differences between the two groups but is not meant to be definitive or exhaustive. Rather, the comparisons will focus on whether or not LiDAR is an appropriate analytical tool to use when investigating these enigmatic structures, in relation to obtaining quantifiable diagnostic criteria that can be used as a rubric used to define shared characteristics of the mounds across geographic regions. Terrestrial Laser Scanning, photogrammetry, and multispectral scanning, have all been used to record contour, height, and variation. Using a number of geoprocessing features such as hillshade, slope, heat density and kernel density, we will look at some advantages and shortcomings of using this geospatial technique. A small sample area at the Rock Creek Recreation Area will serve as the examination’s focus AOI.
Recommended Citation
Emily Lilya. 2025."Comparative Examination of Eastern Washington's Mima Mounds Using GIS and Remote Sensing". Student Symposium Poster Presentation. Cheney, Washington. Eastern Washington University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Comparative Examination of Eastern Washington's Mima Mounds Using GIS and Remote Sensing
PUB NCR
The future site of an EWU-hosted archaeological field school at Escure Ranch/ Rock Creek Recreation Area, is home to both the traditional lands of several Inland Northwest Tribes, but also curious geological formations known as “Mima Mounds”. These mounds remain an interesting enigma for geologists and archaeologists alike. Their somewhat circular and regular spacing patterns have been the topic of much discussion since colonization began in the Americas, but more specifically in the scientific community, for the last 100 years. It is the aim of this presentation, to examine the accepted mound origin theories, give a comprehensive overview of their make-up, typology, variations, and locations across the U.S., along with a one-to-one examination of Mima mounds found on both the western and eastern side of Washington state. This examination will showcase some similarities and differences between the two groups but is not meant to be definitive or exhaustive. Rather, the comparisons will focus on whether or not LiDAR is an appropriate analytical tool to use when investigating these enigmatic structures, in relation to obtaining quantifiable diagnostic criteria that can be used as a rubric used to define shared characteristics of the mounds across geographic regions. Terrestrial Laser Scanning, photogrammetry, and multispectral scanning, have all been used to record contour, height, and variation. Using a number of geoprocessing features such as hillshade, slope, heat density and kernel density, we will look at some advantages and shortcomings of using this geospatial technique. A small sample area at the Rock Creek Recreation Area will serve as the examination’s focus AOI.
