Katie - For what it's worth, this is mostly coming from two field seasons at prehistoric Cactus Hill site, buried in an ancient sand dune. I would think slightly larger units that excavator could be directly on the living floor as well as presumably less likely to cave profiles would work better. I also know Cactus Hill required kneeling pads both under knees and toes of excavator. We also encouraged smooth shoes/boots in the sand. Ban deep-lugged shoes. And yes you will love the screening of sand. Good luck.

Joe Dent
Chair
American University
Dept. of Anthropology
4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20016
----- Original Message -----
From: "Katherine Hull" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 11:25:46 AM
Subject: Excavation strategy

Good afternoon, folks. Just looking for a little professional advice. We will be starting an excavation at the base of the bluffs and along the sandy beach of Lake Ontario. Does anyone have any tips re: working in pure sand? Our usual approach would be 1x1m test units, but we are wondering if trenching (hand-dug, of course) might be a better plan. Vertical control of the artifact locations is not imperative as these are secondary deposits at the very best. I see depths of deposits being minimal, perhaps 40 cm at the most.  
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
(at least screening will be a breeze!)
Thanks,
Katie Hull