Micro-XRF geochemical and micropaleontological evidence for prehistoric land disturbance: construction of the Middle Woodland (ca. 300 BCE – 700 CE) Serpent Mounds Complex, Rice Lake (Ontario, Canada)

Serpent Mounds is a prehistoric (Middle Woodland, ca. 2000-1000 BP) burial mound complex located on the north shore of Rice Lake (Ontario, CA). The complex includes a 60m long and 10m wide sinuous earthwork ridge and eight oval mound structures. The timing of mound construction is poorly constrained limited radiocarbon dates on human burials, and sparse paleoenvironmental data. Serpent Mounds is of high cultural importance as the only known …