Field evaluation
Trial trenching
Trial trenching (or test-pitting) allows the assessment of the nature and extent of any archaeological deposits. Where no deposits are present, the development can usually proceed without further archaeological involvement. If deposits are identified, these are evaluated as part of the process so that a final mitigation strategy can be devised and costed.
Our large team of archaeologists has extensive experience in trial trenching in both rural and urban settings.
Field walking
Field walking involves the systematic scanning of ploughed fields, or shovel-pitting over pasture fields, in order to recover different types of artefacts from the soil. The recovered artefacts are assessed by our in-house team of specialists, and their distribution plotted using CAD software. Areas of low and high archaeological potential can then be identified within the proposed development area.
Geochemical survey
Geochemical survey is a non-intrusive technique which provides the basis for targeting further schemes of work. Small soil samples are taken on a grid basis, either with an auger or following the topsoil strip.
The elemental composition of the soils is determined using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). This in-house technique allows us to identify major and minor inorganic elements, including phosphorus, that are associated with different activities that may have taken place on the site.
For further information contact us on
0191 334 1121