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Dear Peter, Thank you for the precise explanation which will benefit many list users. Reacting to Kevin's reference to "this side of the pond" raises the question which side of which pond? Especially, if you come from a land-locked country 😊 Jokes aside, it would often be useful to know where a question is coming from, as generic e-mail addresses are of no help in locating their origins on the Globe which Zooarch has been so successful in re-creating on our desktops. Knowing the country or at least the continent may help sending more adequate replies of regional practical relevance but of global interest. Thanks once again, Laszlo (Scandinavia) ________________________________ From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Peter Popkin <[log in to unmask]> Sent: 13 March 2019 14:25:23 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] Shovel Testing Hi Kevin et al. I acknowledge that the following is not a standard zooarch post so feel free to stop reading now - but in response to Kevin's question I can give you the view of 'shovel testing' in Ontario. Archaeology in Ontario is done under conditions imposed by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport's (MTCS) 2011 Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists. This is a 168 page rule book that we all play by. In advance of development, if a property is deemed to have archaeological potential, a survey is done. In agricultural fields, or any other land that can be ploughed, survey is done by field walking at five metre intervals. When the land cannot be ploughed - woodlot, residential lot, city park etc. - survey is done by test pit survey (or shovel testing), also at five metre intervals. Here are the test pitting rules: This survey method involves systematically walking the property along regularly spaced transects, excavating small pits by hand at regular intervals and examining their contents. 1. Test pit survey only on terrain where ploughing is not possible or viable, as in the following examples: a. wooded areas b. pasture with high rock content c. abandoned farmland with heavy brush and weed growth d. orchards and vineyards that cannot be strip ploughed (planted in rows 5 m apart or less), gardens parkland or lawns, any of which will remain in use for several years after the survey e. properties where existing landscaping or infrastructure would be damaged. The presence of such obstacles must be documented in sufficient detail to demonstrate that ploughing or cultivation is not viable f. narrow (10 m or less) linear survey corridors (e.g., water or gas pipelines, road widening). This includes situations where there are planned impacts 10 m or less beyond the previously impacted limits on both sides of an existing linear corridor (e.g., two linear survey corridors on either side of an existing roadway). Where at the time of fieldwork the lands within the linear corridor meet the standards as stated under the section on pedestrian survey land preparation, pedestrian survey must be carried out. 2. Space test pits at maximum intervals of 5 m (400 test pits per hectare) in areas less than 300 m from any feature or archaeological potential. 3. Space test pits at maximum intervals of 10 m (100 test pits per hectare) in areas more than 300 m from any feature of archaeological potential. 4. Test pit to within 1 m of built structures (both intact and ruins), or until test pits show evidence of recent ground disturbance. 5. Ensure that test pits are at least 30 cm in diametre 6. Excavate each test pit, by hand, into the first 5 cm of subsoil and examine the pit for stratigraphy, cultural features, or evidence of fill. 7. Screen soil through mesh no greater than 6 mm. 8. Collect all artifacts according to their associated test pit. 9. Backfill all test pits unless instructed not to by the landowner. There are about three more pages detailing what to do when you find archaeological resources, alternative strategies when working in northern Ontario and on the Canadian Shield and other situations that I won't regurgitate here. If you're keen you can find the full document here: http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/publications/SG_2010.pdf cheers, Peter On Wed, Mar 13, 2019 at 5:57 AM Kevin Rielly <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: Dear James, For those of us on this side of the pond could you possibly give a brief explanation of 'shovel testing'? All the best Kevin -----Original Message----- From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> On Behalf Of James Hartley Sent: 13 March 2019 02:00 To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: [ZOOARCH] Shovel Testing This is a rather generalized question for this email list, but I thought some people here would have an answer. In your professional opinion, does shovel testing produce viable results in archaeological field surveys? How often can you actually find new archaeological sites through shovel testing in the field? I work in Oklahoma and I have had to do a lot of shovel testing for field surveys throughout the state. I have heard off and on that shovel testing is not at all helpful for finding new sites (depending on the region, at least), and I have come to question its usefulness myself. I was just curious about the general opinion on the matter. ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the ZOOARCH list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=ZOOARCH&A=1 This message has been scanned for malware by Websense. www.websense.com<http://www.websense.com> ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the ZOOARCH list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=ZOOARCH&A=1 ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the ZOOARCH list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=ZOOARCH&A=1 ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the ZOOARCH list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=ZOOARCH&A=1