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Concept
Necrosol
Summary
A necrosol is a type of anthropogenic soil which is commonly found in cemeteries or other burial sites, and is characterized by the presence of human remains in the soil. The term necrosol was first introduced by Graf during his study of flora and vegetation at a cemetery in Berlin, Germany, in 1986.
Necrosols form during the interaction of the soil with human remains and other materials included in the burial, such as coffins, textiles and other human-made materials. This soil was included under urban soils in a classification system proposed by Burghardt in 1994, but are present in both urban and rural environments. Future research on Necrosols can support the field of archeology and enhance our understanding of past burial practices.
Necrosols are present across the globe, wherever humans have buried their dead. However, there is large variation in the natural soils which these soils developed on, based on climate, topography, time, parent material and vegetation, leading to heterogeneity among necrosols.
Necrosols are compared to a “background” or “reference” soil, which is a soil near the site but outside the burial location.This provides a reference for the type of soil that would naturally occur at the study area, without human disturbance.
Necrosols are divided into two sub-groups: burial Necrosol and non-disturbed Necrosol.
Burial Necrosols have undergone direct mechanical disturbance to the soil profile as a result of excavating soil to make space for human remains.
Non-disturbed Necrosols are located in direct proximity to the burial site but have not undergone direct mechanical alteration from the burial, and therefore still have naturally occurring soil horizons.
The addition of human remains and other materials change the soil horizon sequence of the original soil, and alter its physical, chemical and biological properties. Soil properties or formation will vary depending on the properties of the natural soil and what the burial process is, including burial depth, number of remains buried and proximity of remains to each other.
Official source
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