Field Analysis:How

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How to record soil and sediment properties?
Many description schemes exist whether for archaeological, soil or sediment recording.

Archaeological contentext recording sheets typically ask for basic soil information such as colour and texture. However, there are many instances where recording that little bit more information can add greatly to the potential of the archive for later analysis. The scheme that follows provides recording criteria for the main soil and sediment properties. It is not the intention that all of these should be recorded as the time investment would be prohibitive. Instead it is up to the user to decide which, if any, of these properties will add value to their individual site record. More information on when and why to record soil properties can be found here.

The criteria used here are based principally on those of the Soil Survey of England and Wales and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


 * Landscape information
 * Colour
 * Composition
 * Texture
 * Stoniness
 * Anthropogenic inclusions and artefacts
 * Structure
 * Porosity and roots
 * Soil features
 * Sedimentary and secondary structures
 * Context boundaries
 * Alternate recording schemes

The SASSA field tool provides an electronic means for recording as full or as short a description as deemed necessary. You can access the field tool from the navigation bar on the left.

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