Enhanced Archaeological Subsurface Testing for Cultural Resource Management: Innovation in the Field

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Traditional systematic subsurface testing has been common practice in CRM since the 1970s, when archaeological survey methods were utilized to rescue material culture from a boom in land development projects across North America. Conventional test pits are hand-dug; however, innovations that emerged from an industry partnership between Colbr Consulting Inc. (Colbr) and the Government of New Brunswick have developed enhanced testing or mechanical subsurface testing methods for CRM archaeology. These new methods bolster current practices that have not seen much change over the last four decades. Highlighting how Colbr has refined the mechanical subsurface testing methodology since the approach’s introduction in 2016, this poster focuses on its many benefits. The enhanced testing increases the number of areas suitable for subsurface testing, increases depth to which testing can occur, increases testing efficacy in wet sites, replaces monitoring (in many cases), reduces the time required to test large-scale projects, increases the percentage of site sediment being sampled along with an increased confidence interval, increases artifact recovery, and reduces artifact breakage. The poster discusses how mechanical testing for CRM should be considered an “Enhanced Testing” method as it has proven to be more Efficient, more Economical, and as Ethical as traditional shovel testing.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37125.0