How is Excavation Accomplished?
Mike and his team take great care not to disturb the resources at any site, and 48NA2526 is no exception. Shovels and hand tools (e.g., trowels, soft brushes) are the only implements used for excavation. Every effort is made to locate and map artifacts in place, or, to use the technical term, in situ. Often, this is not possible because the artifacts are too small or too deeply embedded in the soil matrix. In those cases, box sifters suspended from long-legged tripods are used to gently sort excavated materials, and all finds are painstakingly identified, catalogued, and mapped within the site.
