Archaeobotany - Bilge Pump Flotation System
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyg0LG2A6s
Flotation is a recovery technique used in archaeology to retrieve light organic remains from the soil matrix through water separation. Here I am floating a 10 liter bulk sample from a prehistoric site in northwest Nevada using an affordable and efficient flotation machine that recycles water. The first tank that I dump the sample into has a mesh cloth collecting the heavy fraction that sinks (lithic tools, bone, a few non-cultural rocks) while the lighter fraction (seeds, woody remains, roots) floats up to the surface of the water and is collected in the colander cloth mesh.
I was very happy with the flotation device: we managed to float 79 bulk samples within three weeks out in the field. Unfortunately my camera battery died before I finished floating the entire sample.
You can find more information about the bilge pump flotation machine from Shelton and Whites paper, "The Hand-Pump Flotation System: A New Method for Archaeobotanical Recovery".
Additional Information
| Last updated | 13 August 2021 |
|---|---|
| Created | 13 August 2021 |
| Format | unknown |
| License | License not specified |