Flotation
Definition
Passing grave fill through water to separate organic material that floats (seeds, plant fragments, insect remains, charcoal) from heavier inorganic material that sinks and is retained on a fine mesh.
Related terms
- Half-sectioning
- Dividing the grave along its long axis and excavating one half as a section face before opening the other half. Provides a...
- In-situ recovery
- The documentation and removal of evidence from its original position before any surrounding material is shifted. Requires that position, orientation, and associations...
- Sequential pedestal method
- An excavation technique where the grave fill is removed in spits around the body, leaving the remains elevated on undisturbed matrix until...
- Taphonomy
- The systematic modification of bone by environmental processes after death, operating over the burial or exposure interval. Includes weathering, soil staining, sun...
- Wet sieving
- The process of washing material through a mesh with water to separate and recover small fragments. Preferred for fire debris that has...
Explained in
- Clandestine Grave ExcavationPassing grave fill through water to separate organic material that floats (seeds, plant fragments, insect remains, charcoal) from heavier inorganic material th...