Jim,

I just completed a Phase IB for large highway (Route 301) project in
Delaware where as in any project we had to weigh the cost against the time
and what would be the rewards.  Along the proposed Route 301 corridor the
project area was divided into four parts with consultants using similar but
slightly different approaches to surveying this vast area.  We routinely had
fields plowed and disked when possible followed by two phases of surface
collection.  The first phase involved north/south and east/west passes and
the second phase consisted of intensely walking identified clusters.  If
18th century or older materials were identified we brought in a metal
detector to record (sweep technique) finds located in the plowzone only
using different settings.  It is very important NOT to discriminate iron.
Each location was recorded using a hand held GPS.  

This method was successful in pinpointing structures at an early stage,
allowing DelDOT to make adjustments to the alignment where possible.  We do
not routinely do this on 19th century sites as sites from that time period
are more obvious and are often (not always) located on period maps.  This
does not mean it would not be appropriate at a later phase.  This is just
what we have been doing along this corridor.  I hope this helps.

Talk to David Clarke and Kevin Cunningham of DelDOT for their impressions.

Bill Liebeknecht, MA
Hunter Research, Inc.
Trenton, New Jersey           

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pomfret,
Jim
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:21 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: metal detecting guidelines

Dear Colleagues,



We are developing draft guidelines for archaeological metal detecting.
These guidelines will apply to archaeological investigations under Section
106 and similar work.  Do any of you have or know of established guidelines
for the use of metal detectors on archaeological sites?  Specifically, we
are focusing on: (A) metal detecting methods used to locate sites, delineate
site boundaries, and investigate the internal structure of sites and (B)
what level of sampling is appropriate during different phases of
investigation.  If anyone has worked with metal detecting guidelines and has
learned some lessons first hand, we would like to hear those as well.  Any
information you could share is appreciated.


Thanks,


Jim Pomfret
Archaeology Team Leader
Georgia Department of Transportation
Office of Environmental Services
600 West Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone:  404.631.1256
Cell:     404.797.6322
Fax:      404.631.1916