I’ve worked with numerous other archaeological firms in Ohio and have always been shocked by the poor quality of, and sometimes the lack of, basic field tools. Believe it or not, adequate screening systems are rare. I recently witnessed a very large Phase III mitigation project in Ohio where only a few small survey grade box screens were available to the crew.  --Al Pecora, OVAC President

We use a nice sturdy shaker screen.*	A standard Midwestern Shaker screen made by Ohio Valley Archaeological Consultants, Ltd.
Material: 1”x4” poplar ¼” woven steel mesh Interior Box: 24”x34” Leg Height: 40”   * Made to order. Contact Albert Pecora at Ohio Valley Archaeological Consultants, Ltd.

Mapping

Good field mapping is critical for good archaeology. OVAC has the capability to make accurate and precise maps at the many scales required in CRM work. A good archaeological survey or excavation can be rendered useless without good mapping data or communicative maps.

 

We use Trimble's Geo XT, with hurricane antennas,  to collect a wide range of real-time corrected GPS data in all Phases of work for: Making Site  Maps Collecting Topographic Data Piece Plotting Artifacts And numerous other applications OVAI has two Geo XT instruments.

For situations requiring precise spatial control, such as stake outs and fine interval contour maps, we use a Leica laser transit with a Hewlett Packard 48 GX data collector.  (our trusty old  Pentax PCS-515 is shown at right)

Geophysical Survey

 

The FM 256 fluxgate gradiometer, built by Geoscan Research, is the workhorse of our geophysical team. This magnetometer can be used to identify a wide range of buried archaeological features, from historic foundations and wells to many of the more subtle prehistoric features buried thousands of years ago. (FM 36 shown)

The RM 15 Electrical Resistance Meter is another geophysical device made by Geoscan Research for archaeological applications. This instrument is excellent for delineating buried structure foundations and detecting other buried earthen features, such as in-filled ditches. And, a simple adjustment of the two probes at the bottom of the metal frame (shown in the picture to the right) allows the surveyor to collect data at deeper depths (down to about 3 meters).

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