Revolutionizing Sub-surface Testing Strategies for Archaeological Impact Assessments: Innovation out of New Brunswick, Canada

Author(s): Chelsea L Colwell-Pasch

Year: 2020

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Traditional systematic sub-surface testing for AIAs is common practice in CRM since the land development boom of the 1970s when the use of rapid survey methods were created to rescue material culture. Conventionally test pits are hand dug with shovels and processed with bipedal screens, however innovations out of New Brunswick have seen this five-decades old methodology develop in utility, efficiency, accuracy and preference by developers. Mechanical sub-surface testing for AIAs increases the kinds of testable sites, maximum depth, percentage of site tested, confidence interval, and site replicability while reducing technician attrition and fatigue, sole-option monitoring, artifact damage, and, most importantly, the time required to complete large projects. Mechanical testing or ‘Enhanced Testing’ is more efficient, evolved, economical and as ethical as traditional shovel testing. The future of CRM.

Cite this Record

Revolutionizing Sub-surface Testing Strategies for Archaeological Impact Assessments: Innovation out of New Brunswick, Canada. Chelsea L Colwell-Pasch. 2020 ( tDAR id: 457146)

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Keywords

Geographic Keywords
Canada

Spatial Coverage

min long: -141.003; min lat: 41.684 ; max long: -52.617; max lat: 83.113 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 888