Shape as an outcome of formation history: Terrestrial Laser Scanning of shell mounds from far north Queensland, Australia

Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) is a laser-based surveying system that enables rapid measurement of x,y,z coordinate points, creating an accurate representation of objects in three-dimensional space. We apply this technique to the survey and analysis of mounded shell matrix deposits (SMDs) near Weipa in far north Queensland, Australia. Eleven parameters were used to characterise the size and shape of 51 shell mounds located in one geographical area. The results demonstrate substantial variation in mound size and shape, and suggest patterning in mound form related to age as well as position on the landscape. Radiocarbon chronologies developed for a sample of the 51 mounds demonstrate that the mounds do not conform to a model of linear formation of a shell deposit, suggesting mound histories are variable in both the nature of shell deposition as well as post-depositional processes. These results have important implications for interpreting the processes responsible for shell mound formation.