In a message dated 7/1/2000 10:33:44 PM Mountain Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Hi
      Does anyone know of any articles that look at the movement of
 artifacts such as pieces of ceramics and bottle glass in a field that has
 been ploughed with modern farm equipment?
        The site dates to 1850-1890 and the adjoining field has some
 artifact clusters plus a few scattered pieces and l was wondering how much
 ploughing actually moves objects around.
                            Thanks
                               Susan >>

I remember one article specifically dealing with that subject published in
American Antiquity about 10 or 12 years ago.  It was written by Donna Roper
and related to a prehistoric site within the plow zone of a farmer's field in
Illinois.    One of the conclusions was that plowing didn't move artifacts as
far as conventional wisdom suggested it should.  I can't remember the
reference, but it should be findable from that information.

Mike Polk
Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
Ogden, Utah