Formation of Calcium Carbonate at Hell Gap

Hell Gap is a stratified prehistoric site located in the Hartville Uplift, north of Guernsey, Wyoming. Investigations at the site occurred between 1959 and 1966, then again beginning in 1993 to the present. The current investigations resulted in more vigorous testing including several intensive soil studies. The current project is an addition to two previous studies directed to determine the formation of carbonate in the soil matrix. The two previous studies concluded with two conflicting hypothesis: the carbonate is a result of groundwater or a result of pedogenesis. My study expands on the hypotheses by adding an analysis of the chemical composition of the carbonate to find the parent source and more micromorphological analysis of the carbonate structure.