Wallace Law

Research Interests

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Archaeology Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Studies Archaeological Science Archaeology of Australia Ecology Geography Geospatial Information Systems Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Dr Wallace Law

School of Biological Sciences

College of Science

Dr. W. Boone Law is a geospatial scientist and archaeologist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He works with the University of Adelaide's Spatial Science Group (SSG), where he completed his PhD research on the application of satellite remote sensing and spatial technologies to investigate past Aboriginal land use and archaeological site distribution in the Australian arid zone. His research aims to demonstrate how remote sensing can improve our modelling of past Aboriginal land use practices and archaeological site distribution in Australia’s vast desert regions. Dr. Law has worked as a full-time archaeological consultant since 2001, managing survey and excavation teams in Texas and Australia. Through his close industry relationship and role as a Senior Archaeologist with Scarp Archaeology Pty Ltd, he is an Associate Investigator with Australian Research Council Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).In addition to his geoarchaeological research, Dr. Law has volunteered much of his time to mapping the 2020 bushfire impacts on Kangaroo Island. Together, he and Professor Megan Lewis (Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) have advocated for government, industry and research agencies to invest in accessible and easily understood satellite mapping of bushfire impacted areas during the event and beyond. He is part of a University of Adelaide research team led by Professor Bronwyn Gillanders (Environment Institute) studying how the bushfires impacted the island's marine and coastal environment. Dr. Law is also involved with a long-term study using satellite imagery to investigate turbidity and seagrass change along the metropolitan Adelaide region.

Research Interests:

  • Multispectral and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, GIS, and Related Spatial Technologies
  • Ecological Modelling
  • Bushfire Mapping 
  • Geoarchaeology
  • Australian Arid Zone Archaeology
  • Aboriginal Stone Artefacts and Stone Artefact Analysis
  • Archaeological Field Methods, including Rockshelter Excavation and Open Site Recording
  • Scientific Research Design and Technical Report Writing

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2021 Award APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - Oceanic Region Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) Australia -
2021 Award APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - South Australia Region Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) Australia -
2020 Award Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence University of Adelaide Australia -
2015 Scholarship Faculty of Sciences Divisional Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
2015 Scholarship Constance Fraser Supplementary Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
1998 Scholarship Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) for International Students Australian National University Australia -
1997 Scholarship Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Australian National University United States -

Date Institution name Country Title
2020 University of Adelaide Australia Ph.D. in Environmental Remote Sensing and Geospatial Science
2004 Australian National University Australia M. Phil. in Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology
1997 Australian National University Australia Grad. Dip. Prehistory and Archaeology
1996 Texas Tech University United States B.A. Anthropology

Date Title Institution Country
2009 - 2009 Geochronology Master Class: Dating Methods and Their Applications in Australasian Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Research Flinders University Australia
2004 - 2004 Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology for Archaeologists Short Course Quaternary Analysis Laboratories United States

Date Title Institution name Country
2015 First Aid Certificate (HLTAID001, HLTAID002, HLTAID003) St. John's Ambulance -
2012 Mining Safety and Leadership Certification Aveling -
2012 Advanced 4WD Certificate (RIIVEH305A) Getabout Training Services (Provider Code 90547) -
2010 Undertake Confined Space Rescue ERGT Skills For Life -
2010 Enter and Work in Confined Space (RIIOHS202A) ERGT Skills For Life -

Year Citation
2024 Duxbury, L. C., Johns-Mead, L. Y., Cadd, H., Francke, A., Löhr, S. C., Law, W. B., . . . Tyler, J. J. (2024). Holocene climate and catchment change inferred from the geochemistry of Lashmars Lagoon, Kangaroo Island (Karti/Karta), southern Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 634, 15 pages.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3
2024 Law, W. B. (2024). Aerial and satellite remote sensing for Aboriginal archaeology: Past, present and future. Australian Archaeology, 90(1), 61-63.
DOI
2024 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., Coster, A. C. F., Ditchfield, K., Field, J., Garvey, J., . . . Wasef, S. (2024). A 47,000 year archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record from Juukan 2 rockshelter on the western Hamersley Plateau of the Pilbara region, Western Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 338, 19 pages.
DOI Scopus3 WoS5
2024 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., Coster, A. C. F., Ditchfield, K., Field, J., Garvey, J., . . . Wasef, S. (2024). Corrigendum to ‘A 47,000 year archaeological and palaeoenvironmental record from Juukan 2 rockshelter on the western Hamersley Plateau of the Pilbararegion, Western Australia’ [Quaternary Sci. Rev. 338 (2024) 108823] (Quaternary Science Reviews (2024) 338, (S027737912400324X), (10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108823)). Quaternary Science Reviews, 342, 2 pages.
DOI
2023 Duxbury, L. C., Johns-Mead, L. Y., Cadd, H., Francke, A., Löhr, S. C., Law, W. B., . . . Tyler, J. J. (2023). Holocene Climate and Catchment Change Inferred from the Geochemistry of Lashmars Lagoon, Kangaroo Island (Karti), Southern Australia.
DOI
2022 Fernandes, M. B., Hennessy, A., Law, W. B., Daly, R., Gaylard, S., Lewis, M., & Clarke, K. (2022). Landsat historical records reveal large-scale dynamics and enduring recovery of seagrasses in an impacted seascape.. The Science of the total environment, 813, 1-9.
DOI Scopus13 WoS13 Europe PMC2
2021 Law, W. B., Hiscock, P., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2021). Using satellite imagery to evaluate precontact Aboriginal foraging habitats in the Australian Western Desert.. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-14.
DOI Scopus8 WoS4
2020 Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2020). Cover Image. Geoarchaeology, 35(3).
DOI
2020 Slack, M., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2020). The early occupation of the Eastern Pilbara revisited: New radiometric chronologies and archaeological results from Newman Rockshelter and Newman Orebody XXIX. Quaternary Science Reviews, 236, 1-19.
DOI Scopus8
2020 Law, W. B., & Slack, M. J. (2020). The Story is in the Rocks: How Stone Artefact Scatters can Inform our Understanding of Ancient Aboriginal Stone Arrangement Functions. Journal of Field Archaeology, 45(2), 106-119.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2019 Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2019). Reflecting on siliceous rocks in central Australia: Using advanced remote sensing to map ancient “tool-stone” resources. Geoarchaeology, 35(3), 400-415.
DOI Scopus2 WoS1
2019 Law, W. (2019). Book Review: The Nile Basin: Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, and Prehistoric Environments by Martin Williams.. Quaternary Australasia, 36(2), 39-41.
2018 Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2018). Pleistocene settlement of the eastern Hamersley Plateau: A regional study of 22 rock-shelter sites. Archaeology in Oceania, 53(3), 191-204.
DOI Scopus10
2017 Slack, M., Connell, K., Davis, A., Gliganic, L. A., Law, W. B., & Meyer, M. (2017). Post-Last Glacial Maximum settlement of the West Angelas region in the inland Hamersley Plateau, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 83(3), 127-142.
DOI Scopus9 WoS6
2017 Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. M. (2017). Digital terrain analysis reveals new insights into the topographic context of Australian Aboriginal stone arrangements. Archaeological Prospection, 24(2), 169-179.
DOI Scopus11 WoS8
2010 Law, W., Cropper, D., & Petchey, F. (2010). Djadjiling rockshelter: 35,000 ¹⁴C years of Aboriginal occupation in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 70(1), 68-71.
DOI Scopus30
- Fernandes, M., Hennessy, A., Law, W., Daly, R., Gaylard, S., Lewis, M., & Clarke, K. (n.d.). Benthic cover maps associated with paper "Landsat historical records reveal large-scale dynamics and enduring recovery of seagrasses in an impacted seascape", in Science of the Total Environment.
DOI

Year Citation
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). An introduction to the Rockshelter excavations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 3-16). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). An archaeological review of the Hamersley Plateau. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 17-44). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at Djadjiling Rockshelter (HD07-1A-04). In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 247-286). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus2
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Research aims and methods. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 53-90). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus1
2018 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at PAD 3 Rockshelter. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 287-314). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
Scopus1
2018 Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Summary and discussion of Rockshelter investigations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 435-454). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 3: Archaeological Setting. In B. Houk, K. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas. Austin: Texas Department of Transportation.
DOI
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 5: Data Recovery Research Design and Methodology. In B. A. Houk, K. A. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas (pp. 5-1-5-16). Austin: Texas Department of Transportation.
DOI
2005 Law, W. B. (2005). Stone artefact reduction, mobility, and arid zone settlement models: a case study from Puritjarra rockshelter, Central Australia. In C. Clarkson, & L. Lamb (Eds.), Lithics 'down Under' Australian Perspectives on Lithic Reduction, Use and Classification (Vol. British Archaeological Reports International Monograph Series (S1408), pp. 81-94). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports Limited.

Year Citation
2018 Law, W., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2018). Identifying siliceous ‘tool stone’ resources with advanced remote sensing: a case study from central Australia. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues NZAA and AAA 2018 Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2018 Slack, M., Murray, G., Ewan, A., Pervan, J., Law, W. B., Strano, A., & Stevens, G. (2018). Reconstructing a peopled landscape in the Pilbara. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues 2018 NZAA and AAA Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2015 Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Solomon, T., & Long, T. (2015). A Geospatial and Geoarchaeological Site Location Model of Aboriginal Stone Arrangements in the Central Pilbara. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, Western Australia.
2015 Slack, M. J., Gliganic, L., Law, W. B., & Solomon, T. (2015). Pre-Glacial Settlement of the Eastern Pilbara - The Nyiyaparli Rockshelter Research Project. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, WA.
2013 Law, W. B. (2013). Is there a correlation between the emergence of backed artefact technologies and mid-Holocene climate change in the Pilbara?. In AAA Conference Programme. Wollongong, New South Wales.
2009 Cropper, D. N., & Law, W. B. (2009). The Pleistocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2009 Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. N. (2009). The Holocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2008 Law, W. B. (2008). PAD3 Rockshelter: A Holocene Rockshelter from the Pilbara, WA. In SAA Abstract Archive. Vancouver, Canada.
2004 Houk, B. A., & Law, W. B. (2004). Excavations at 41KR621, a Stratified Site in Kerr County, Texas. In TAS Abstract Program. College Station, Texas.
2000 Law, W. B. (2000). Measuring Stone Artefact Reduction in Central Australia. In NASC Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
1999 Law, W. B. (1999). Transformations in Stone Artefact Reduction at a Central Australian Rockshelter. In AAA-Mandurah Conference Programme. Mandurah.

Year Citation
2020 Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). I made bushfire maps from satellite data, and found a glaring gap in Australia’s preparedness. The Conversation.
2020 Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). University of Adelaide Researchers Raise Awareness on the Importance of Satellite Imagery for Mapping Bushfire Impacts. Environment Institute Blog.

Date Role Membership Country
2015 - ongoing Member Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute Australia
2004 - ongoing Member Society of American Archaeology United States
1998 - ongoing Member Australian Archaeological Association Australia

Date Office Name Institution Country
2017 - 2019 Secretary Australian Archaeological Association Australia

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