Rift Dynamics and Archaeological Sites: Acheulean Land Use in Geologically Unstable Settings

Our aim in this chapter is to examine the reconstruction of physical landscapes in rift settings and their relevance to archaeological interpretation and to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of such research, with particular reference to the Kenyan sector of the East African Rift. We focus on the mapping of physical landforms and how they change in relation to variations in geology, topography,hydrology, soils and sediments, their relationship to the dynamic underlying processes of tectonic activity in different sorts of geological and geodynamic settings, and the implications of these relationships for the surface distribution of plant and animal resources and physical features of potential human significance.