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The Siphon Technique: An Addition to the Flotation Process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

George Gumerman IV and
Bruce S. Umemoto
George Gumerman IV
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Bruce S. Umemoto
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024
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Abstract

To enhance the recovery of dense, nonfloating botanical remains, we used a siphon subsequent to the normal flotation process. The siphon vacuums the heavy fraction of a flotation sample and retrieves most of the non-floating botanical material. Experiments show an improvement averaging 9.9% and 11.3% by count and weight, respectively, for the recovery of high-density botanical remains using the siphon technique.

Information

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , April 1987, pp. 330 - 336
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1987

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References

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