Description
During mitigative and exploratory studies undertaken at the FM Ranch Campsite (EfPk-1) in 2015, near-surface geophysical assessment was implemented to help focus archaeological and geoarchaeological studies in a selected area of the site. The purpose of the study was to locate culturally-derived combustion features (such as hearths) using magnetic detection methods prior to excavation, in order to maximize the potential for recovery of cultural data that are usually associated with these types of features. Analysis of the results of this work illustrated some shortcomings of the gradiometer method, and an alternative geophysical magnetic assessment method that would be more suitable for investigating the majority of archaeological features found in North America is suggested. Part of the 37th volume of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series, which contains 18 articles exploring multiple facets of the impact on archaeological resources of the 2013 flood in...