Earthworm activity and archaeological stratigraphy: A review of products and processes

The activity of earthworms has long been understood to have significant effects on archaeological stratigraphy, but many of the details have not been fully grasped by stratigraphers or by the specialists who advise them. Although worms are widely known to cause the burial of finds due to surface casting, some of their other activities are less commonly recorded. Amongst these, their active burial of stones and seeds, their building of cairns, and their production of calcium carbonate granules have mostly not been studied in any detail, and have been little exploited from an interpretative point of view. This paper reviews the existing knowledge as well as presenting some recent research carried out into various aspects of worm actions and their relationship to taphonomy. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.