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Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center / Educators

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Soil Probe - Video

Soil probes are used to find out what soils look like below the surface.  Probes can help archaeologists see changes in soil color and texture that might indicate naturally formed soils, archaeological deposits, the edge or bottom of a feature, different depositional zones within a feature, disturbances, or sterile soil. Probes can help in interpreting the soils and deciding where and how to excavate.

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MVAC Educational Programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.