International Research Fellowship Program: Archaeological Diagenesis: A Chemical Study of In Situ Mineral Formation in Prehistoric Cave Shelters

0107378史密斯国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。 该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用国外独特或互补的设施，专业知识和实验条件。史密斯博士与史蒂夫韦纳博士在魏茨曼研究所的基梅尔考古科学中心在Rehobel，以色列。该项目涉及重建洞穴庇护所的古地球化学环境，以评估其考古记录的完整性。 在史前遗址中发现的自生矿物可作为古环境指标。 它们将被纯化，并在不同条件下研究其溶解度，以预测过去的成岩条件。 有了这些知识，考古学家将更好地了解考古记录如何受到沉积后化学成岩作用的影响或改变。 预计这项工作的结果不仅适用于史前洞穴考古，而且适用于考古学和地质学的其他领域。韦纳博士是新成立的基梅尔中心的主任，也是魏茨曼研究所的结构生物学教授。

0107378SmithThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide twelve months of support to Dr. Gregory D. Smith to work with Dr. Steve Weiner at the Weizmann Institute's Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science in Rehovot, Israel.This project involves the reconstruction of paleogeochemical environments of cave shelters in order to assess the completeness of their archaeological records. Authigenic minerals identified in situ at prehistoric sites will serve as paleoenvironmental indicators. They will be purified and their solubilities studied under varying conditions in order to predict past diagenetic conditions. Armed with such knowledge, archaeologists will know better how the archaeological record is affected or altered by post-depositional chemical diagenesis. It is expected that results from this work will be applicable not only to prehistoric cave archaeology, but to other areas of archaeology as well as geology.Dr. Weiner is the director of the newly established Kimmel Center, as well as professor of Structural Biology at the Weizmann Institute.