Niku VI (2010) - Revision history

Moleski: /* Excavations at the Seven Site */

2012-06-19T16:45:15Z

Excavations at the Seven Site

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:45, 19 June 2012
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	(Describe results)		(Describe results)

	=Excavations at the Seven Site=		=Excavations at the [[Seven Site]]=

	==Research Design==		==Research Design==

	The 2001 and 2007 field seasons at the Seven Site had shown us several things, notably:		The 2001 and 2007 field seasons at the [[Seven Site]] had shown us several things, notably:

	1. The site comprises a surge ridge made up of coral rubble;		1. The site comprises a surge ridge made up of coral rubble;
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	(Describe results)		(Describe results)



	=Ancillary Activities=		=Ancillary Activities=

Moleski at 04:20, 5 July 2011

2011-07-05T04:20:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:20, 5 July 2011
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	* [http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Expeditions/NikuVI/Niku6dailies.html Daily updates from the expedition.]		* [http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Expeditions/NikuVI/Niku6dailies.html Daily updates from the expedition.]
			* [http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Expeditions/NikuVI/PIPAreport/Niku6PIPAreport.html Niku VI PIPA Report.]

	== Team Members ==		== Team Members ==

Tfking106: /* Tree Borings */

2011-05-17T00:28:14Z

Tree Borings

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:28, 17 May 2011
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	==Tree Borings==		==Tree Borings==

	Gallagher, it will be recalled, described the bones found in 1940 as lying under a ''ren'' ([[Tournefortia]]) tree. We were curious to determine whether the "Big ''Ren''" at the Seven Site might be old enough to be Gallagher's ''ren.'' It is generally understood that dendrochronology works poorly if at all in the Pacific, because trees do not lay on annular rings that reflect seasonal changes. However, we thought that trees on Nikumaroro might reflect periods of drought in their ring structure, so we undertook a systematic program of tree-boring, using equipment generously loaned by the University of Maryland Department of _______. In all, five ''rens'' were bored -- the Big ''Ren'' plus four smaller trees found by the Dynamic Duo along and rather beyond the Carter-Kern Highway (Insert map of trees). In addition, two sections were cut from a large dead ren ___ meters north of the Big Ren. The resulting cores and sections were processed by Taylor Keen of the University of Maryland..... (describe results)		Gallagher, it will be recalled, described the bones found in 1940 as lying under a ''ren'' ([[Tournefortia]]) tree. We were curious to determine whether the "Big ''Ren''" at the Seven Site might be old enough to be Gallagher's ''ren.'' It is generally understood that dendrochronology works poorly if at all in the Pacific, because trees do not lay on annular rings that reflect seasonal changes. However, we thought that trees on Nikumaroro might reflect periods of drought in their ring structure, and that these might be dated using historical records. Accordingly, we undertook a systematic program of tree-boring, using equipment generously loaned by the University of Maryland Department of _______. In all, five ''rens'' were bored -- the Big ''Ren'' plus four smaller trees found by the Dynamic Duo along and rather beyond the Carter-Kern Highway (Insert map of trees). In addition, two sections were cut from a large dead ren ___ meters north of the Big ''Ren''. The resulting cores and sections were processed by Taylor Keen of the University of Maryland..... (describe results)

	==Search of Crab Burrows==		==Search of Crab Burrows==

Tfking106: Added to description of expedition's work

2011-05-17T00:26:39Z

Added to description of expedition's work

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:26, 17 May 2011
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	Graham Berwind; Bill Carter; Art Carty; Janis Carty; [[John Clauss]]; [[Ric Gillespie]]; Walt Holm; Taylor Keen; Karl Kern; [[Tom King]]; Dan Lann; Megan Lickliter-Mundon; Andrew McKenna; Jon Overholt; Gary Quigg; Tom Roberts; Jesse Rodocker; Leonid Sagalovsky; Lonnie Schorer; Mark Smith; Curtis Webster		Graham Berwind; Bill Carter; Art Carty; Janis Carty; [[John Clauss]]; [[Ric Gillespie]]; Walt Holm; Taylor Keen; Karl Kern; [[Tom King]]; Dan Lann; Megan Lickliter-Mundon; Andrew McKenna; Jon Overholt; Gary Quigg; Tom Roberts; Jesse Rodocker; Leonid Sagalovsky; Lonnie Schorer; Mark Smith; Curtis Webster

	==Introduction==		=Introduction=

	The 2010 expedition was divided into two parts: robotic exploration of the Nuritan reef face and the lagoon, and terrestrial archaeology at the Seven Site. A small comparative study in the village (described below in connection with the Seven Site) was aborted.		The 2010 expedition was divided into two parts: robotic exploration of the Nuritan reef face and the lagoon, and terrestrial archaeology at the Seven Site. A small comparative study in the village (described below in connection with the Seven Site) was aborted.

	==Underwater Survey==		=Underwater Survey=

	We had visually inspected the Nutiran reef down to about 40 meters, but were thoroughly uninformed about what lay at greater depths. To search this area, we entered into a contract with Seabotix, Inc. to deploy a ____ remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with (describe). The ROV had a maximum operating depth of 300 meters. A search area was established running ____ meters along the reef and extending to a depth of 300 meters. Seabotix also provided an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for use in the lagoon.		We had visually inspected the Nutiran reef down to about 40 meters, but were thoroughly uninformed about what lay at greater depths. To search this area, we entered into a contract with Seabotix, Inc. to deploy a ____ remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with (describe). The ROV had a maximum operating depth of 300 meters. A search area was established running ____ meters along the reef and extending to a depth of 300 meters. Seabotix also provided an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for use in the lagoon.
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	(Describe results)		(Describe results)

	==Excavations at the Seven Site==		=Excavations at the Seven Site=

	=Research Design=		==Research Design==

	The 2001 and 2007 field seasons at the Seven Site had shown us several things ~~about the site~~, notably:		The 2001 and 2007 field seasons at the Seven Site had shown us several things, notably:

	1. The site comprises a surge ridge made up of coral rubble;		1. The site comprises a surge ridge made up of coral rubble;
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	As work progressed, at Megan's suggestion two more lanes, L and L-2, were laid out perpendicular to lanes A through G at the southeast edge of the site, and excavated in the same manner as the other lanes. A standard 2x2M unit was added to the block of "SL" units dug in 2007. Another group of units was excavated beyond the L and L-2 lanes to explore a metal detector hit at the head of the Carter-Kern Highway; these were designated the X-units. GPR, UV, and metal detector scans were conducted in 15x15 meter blocks NW and SE of the main study area; shovel test pits and one 1x2M unit were dug to explore apparent GPR anomalies. Figure XXXX is a map of all excavations and related scans.		As work progressed, at Megan's suggestion two more lanes, L and L-2, were laid out perpendicular to lanes A through G at the southeast edge of the site, and excavated in the same manner as the other lanes. A standard 2x2M unit was added to the block of "SL" units dug in 2007. Another group of units was excavated beyond the L and L-2 lanes to explore a metal detector hit at the head of the Carter-Kern Highway; these were designated the X-units. GPR, UV, and metal detector scans were conducted in 15x15 meter blocks NW and SE of the main study area; shovel test pits and one 1x2M unit were dug to explore apparent GPR anomalies. Figure XXXX is a map of all excavations and related scans.

			(Describe Results)

			==Ground-Penetrating Radar and Ultraviolet Scanning==

			(Describe results)

			==Tree Borings==

			Gallagher, it will be recalled, described the bones found in 1940 as lying under a ''ren'' ([[Tournefortia]]) tree. We were curious to determine whether the "Big ''Ren''" at the Seven Site might be old enough to be Gallagher's ''ren.'' It is generally understood that dendrochronology works poorly if at all in the Pacific, because trees do not lay on annular rings that reflect seasonal changes. However, we thought that trees on Nikumaroro might reflect periods of drought in their ring structure, so we undertook a systematic program of tree-boring, using equipment generously loaned by the University of Maryland Department of _______. In all, five ''rens'' were bored -- the Big ''Ren'' plus four smaller trees found by the Dynamic Duo along and rather beyond the Carter-Kern Highway (Insert map of trees). In addition, two sections were cut from a large dead ren ___ meters north of the Big Ren. The resulting cores and sections were processed by Taylor Keen of the University of Maryland..... (describe results)

			==Search of Crab Burrows==

			(Describe results)



			=Ancillary Activities=

			==Checking Google Earth Hot Spots==

			Several people had contacted TIGHAR over the months prior to the expedition reporting things they had seen while examining imagery of Nikumaroro on Google Earth. One report, by _______, was of what appeared to be block capital letters spelling out "ELP," with what might have been a muddled "H" to their left, made up of rocks in the bottom of one of the small ponds near the Loran Station site on Ameriki. Mr. _____ also thought he could see something shaped like the Electra in the lagoon, and kindly provided us with precise coordinates. Although Jeff Glickmann warned us that the perceived anomalies were artifacts of satellite imaging technology, several team members nevertheless spent part of our one "off" day examining the locations; we also had the AUV survey the vicinity of the ostensible Electra. Nothing was observed in either location, or found in metal detecting. The "Electra" location had a number of near-surface coral heads, but nothing that appeared to be structural or that triggered a response from a metal detector. The AUV also detected nothing at this location. The shallow pond at Ameriki contained shelving coral, but no stone features of any kind.

			==Seeking a Comparative Fire Feature==

			Although data are available from other Pacific island archaeological contexts comparable to the bone-rich fire features of the Seven Site, we hoped to be able to find a fire feature in the colonial village whose excavation would provide a more direct comparative sample. With this in mind, and Laxton's 1949 map of house plots in hand, Gary Quigg and Lonnie Schorer, assisted by Megan Likliter-Mundon and Ric Gillespie, set out up the Sir Harry Luke Avenue to find the house sites of early colonists _____ and ______. The hope was to locate and excavate their cookhouses. Unfortunately, it turned out that the property boundary markers along the avenue were for the most part badly disturbed and obscured by tree growth; the very clearly delineated example we found in 1997 (which we relocated) being an exception to the rule. Even when approximate house sites were identified, it proved impossible in the time we had available to locate any cookhouse sites. It did appear, however, that each house site typically had at least one small but very dense cluster of coconut palms, and it finally dawned on us that these might represent cookhouses, with vigorous tree growth stimulated by decaying organic material and wood ash. Without major defoliation of the house sites, however, it was impossible to verify whether this was the case, and the search for a comparative fire feature was abandoned.

	[[Category:Expeditions\|Niku 2010]]		[[Category:Expeditions\|Niku 2010]]
	[[Category:Archaeology of Nikumaroro]]		[[Category:Archaeology of Nikumaroro]]

Tfking106 at 23:52, 16 May 2011

2011-05-16T23:52:18Z

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 Graham Berwind; Bill Carter; Art Carty; Janis Carty; [[John Clauss]]; [[Ric Gillespie]]; Walt Holm; Taylor Keen; Karl Kern; [[Tom King]]; Dan Lann; Megan Lickliter-Mundon; Andrew McKenna; Jon Overholt; Gary Quigg; Tom Roberts; Jesse Rodocker; Leonid Sagalovsky; Lonnie Schorer; Mark Smith; Curtis Webster
-==Research Design==
+==Introduction==
 The 2001 and 2007 field seasons at the Seven Site had shown us several things about the site, notably:

Tfking106 at 09:44, 4 May 2011

2011-05-04T09:44:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:44, 4 May 2011
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	Work began as usual with a brush-clearing operation. [[Scaevola]] was cut using pneumatic loppers and chain saws, and carried to a slash pile on the lagoon shore. Once the Dynamic Duo had opened the Carter-Kern Highway, [[Scaevola]] was also carried to the ocean beach. We opened up an area embracing all the areas previously inspected in 2001 and 2007, and extending somewhat farther along the ridge to the southeast. Trees that were not [[Scaevola]] were left in place.		Work began as usual with a brush-clearing operation. [[Scaevola]] was cut using pneumatic loppers and chain saws, and carried to a slash pile on the lagoon shore. Once the Dynamic Duo had opened the Carter-Kern Highway, [[Scaevola]] was also carried to the ocean beach. We opened up an area embracing all the areas previously inspected in 2001 and 2007, and extending somewhat farther along the ridge to the southeast. Trees that were not [[Scaevola]] were left in place.

	Once the basic working area was cleared, we laid out a 15-meter base line (a nylon rope staked at both ends) perpendicular to the axis of the ridge, just northwest of the "Big Ren" and the ~~___~~ units excavated in 2001. The baseline rope had nylon strings attached every 2 meters. Stretched out perpendicular to the base line and staked, these formed seven 2-meter-wide lanes, designated Lanes A through G. Two team members then took each lane and began systematically troweling toward the southeast, stripping the surface down to 10 cm. depth. Each "lane team" was responsible for keeping a running record of its observations, using standard "lane forms," for collecting ecofacts and such common artifacts as ferrous fragments by 2-meter segment and/or by observable feature, and for calling on Meg and Tom to record specific locations and recover artifacts.		Once the basic working area was cleared, we laid out a 15-meter base line (a nylon rope staked at both ends) perpendicular to the axis of the ridge, just northwest of the "Big Ren" and the "D" units excavated in 2001. The baseline rope had nylon strings attached every 2 meters. Stretched out perpendicular to the base line and staked, these formed seven 2-meter-wide lanes, designated Lanes A through G. Two team members then took each lane and began systematically troweling toward the southeast, stripping the surface down to 10 cm. depth. Each "lane team" was responsible for keeping a running record of its observations, using standard "lane forms," for collecting ecofacts and such common artifacts as ferrous fragments by 2-meter segment and/or by observable feature, and for calling on Meg and Tom to record specific locations and recover artifacts.

	As work progressed, at Megan's suggestion two more lanes, L and L-2, were laid out perpendicular to lanes A through G at the southeast edge of the site, and excavated in the same manner as the other lanes. A standard 2x2M unit was added to the block of "SL" units dug in 2007. Another group of units was excavated beyond the L and L-2 lanes to explore a metal detector hit at the head of the Carter-Kern Highway; these were designated the X-units. GPR, UV, and metal detector scans were conducted in 15x15 meter blocks NW and SE of the main study area; shovel test pits and one 1x2M unit were dug to explore apparent GPR anomalies. Figure XXXX is a map of all excavations and related scans.		As work progressed, at Megan's suggestion two more lanes, L and L-2, were laid out perpendicular to lanes A through G at the southeast edge of the site, and excavated in the same manner as the other lanes. A standard 2x2M unit was added to the block of "SL" units dug in 2007. Another group of units was excavated beyond the L and L-2 lanes to explore a metal detector hit at the head of the Carter-Kern Highway; these were designated the X-units. GPR, UV, and metal detector scans were conducted in 15x15 meter blocks NW and SE of the main study area; shovel test pits and one 1x2M unit were dug to explore apparent GPR anomalies. Figure XXXX is a map of all excavations and related scans.

Tfking106: Initial composition of this section.

2011-04-30T23:52:43Z

Initial composition of this section.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Team Members ==
 [[File:Niku-VI-team.png|thumb|300px]]
-* Graham Berwind
+Graham Berwind; Bill Carter; Art Carty; Janis Carty; [[John Clauss]]; [[Ric Gillespie]]; Walt Holm; Taylor Keen; Karl Kern; [[Tom King]]; Dan Lann; Megan Lickliter-Mundon; Andrew McKenna; Jon Overholt; Gary Quigg; Tom Roberts; Jesse Rodocker; Leonid Sagalovsky; Lonnie Schorer; Mark Smith; Curtis Webster
 ==Research Design==
@@ Line 39: / Line 19: @@
 One important caveat needs to be noted at the outset.  When we speak of exposing a "large portion of the site," this implies that we know how extensive the "site" actually is, and we actually do not.  The areas in which we worked in 2001 and 2007, both embraced within the larger area we worked in 2010, contain distributions of artifacts and features that do not '''seem''' to extend beyond the boundaries of the area we have each time temporarily cleared of [[Scaevola]]; transects cut into the bush beyond these boundaries and inspected visually and with metal detectors have not revealed additional features or obvious artifact clusters.  However, we cannot say for certain that we have established the full extent of the site.
 [[Category:Expeditions|Niku 2010]]
 [[Category:Archaeology of Nikumaroro]]

Tfking106: /* Team Members */

2011-04-30T23:03:51Z

Team Members

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 * Mark Smith
 * Curtis Webster
 [[Category:Expeditions|Niku 2010]]
 [[Category:Archaeology of Nikumaroro]]

Thrasher: Corrected link.

2011-01-20T17:40:02Z

Corrected link.

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:40, 20 January 2011
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	* [http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/NikuVI/Niku6dailies.html Daily updates from the expedition.]		* [http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Expeditions/NikuVI/Niku6dailies.html Daily updates from the expedition.]

	== Team Members ==		== Team Members ==

Moleski at 01:43, 1 January 2011

2011-01-01T01:43:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 1 January 2011
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	== Team Members ==		== Team Members ==
			[[File:Niku-VI-team.png\|thumb\|300px]]
	* Graham Berwind		* Graham Berwind
	* Bill Carter		* Bill Carter