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Dear colleagues,



I am writing with a question relating to the long-term storage of
waterlogged deposits. A colleague here in Ireland, Christina Fredengren, has
been excavating an important Late Mesolithic lakeside site (further
information available at www.discoveryprogramme.ie - see Lake Settlement
Project section). Many of the deposits at the site are waterlogged.



Christina took many soil samples during the excavation, and it now seems
that there are a number of samples that will not be examined in the near
future. A museum here in Ireland is interested in storing these unexamined
samples, possibly for analysis at some time in future decades.



I am looking for advice on current best practice for long-term storage of
waterlogged samples. Would it be better to store the soil samples
'untouched', or can we sieve them to reduce their mass? Any advice on the
addition of water/alcohol/other materials to enable preservation of the
waterlogged remains would also be appreciated.



Best wishes,

Meriel McClatchie.