Commonly used in archaeological contexts, micromorphology did not see a parallel advance in the field of experimental archaeology. Drawing from early work conducted in the 1990’s on ethnohistoric sites in the Beagle Channel, we analyze a set of 25 thin sections taken from control features and experimental tests. The control features include animal pathways and environmental contexts (beach samples, forest litter, soils from the proximities of archaeological sites), while the experimental samples comprise anthropic structures, such as hearths, and valves of Mytilus edulis (the most important component of shell middens in the region) heated from 200 °C to 800 °C. Their micromorphological study constitutes a modern analogue to assist archaeologists studying site formation and ethnographical settings in cold climates, with particular emphasis on shell midden contexts.► High biological action in soils and sediments from the Beagle Channel coasts. ► Sea-mammal bones from the beach are calcitic with wide dissolution areas. ► Sea-mammas from beached individuals are not deeply dissolved and bioeroded. ► Burning traits of Mytilus edulis correspond to stages of bio-aragonite transformation with heat. ► Burning traits allow interpreting hearth temperature and re-arrangement of archaeological combustion structures.

This paper discusses the ongoing ethnoarchaeological research carried out in Yamana shell middens of Tierra del Fuego. Ethnoarchaeology is used in this research as a tool to improve the archaeological methodology by testing it against anthropological, ethnographical and ethnological sources for achieving more accurate reconstructions of past societies. The ethnographical/ethnological information also is coupled with an experimental approach devised to understand physical and social processes, such as site formation processes and resource use and management. Specifically, this experimental approach was applied to the archaeological sites Túnel VII and Lanashuaia I (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina).

The Working Group defines Geoarchaeology as “the geosciences and geographical methods and techniques applied to prehistory, archaeology, and history”. Its aim is to promote Geoarchaeology in an open-minded way and from an interdisciplinary point of view. (Fouache et al. 2010: 307)