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Screening of Contexts

SASAA provides routine screening tests, chemical analysis of soils and soil solutions, and soil micromorphological analysis:

Physico-chemical screening tests 

• Organic content: determined by loss on ignition and indicative of % carbon in a sample.

• pH: can indicate micro-environmental conditions, and soil corrosivity. 

• Particle size distribution: quantitatively and objectively determines % sand, silt and clay in a sample, and therefore texture can be assigned. Particle size can inform on deposition method of a context (natural versus anthropogenic). 

• Magnetic susceptibility (Xlf): by context, showing whether samples have been exposed to heating and/or contain high % of ferrous minerals.  

• Chemical analysis: to quantitatively determine chemical components, and identify contaminants. Analytical techniques used include: ICP-AES, ICP-MS.

• Soil solution analysis: to quantitatively identify available ions in soil, which may be characteristic of industrial activity on a site, and to identify available contaminants. 

Soil Micromorphology

• Microscopic description, interpretation and measurement of soil components, fabrics and features.

• Micromorphology can inform on possible anthropogenic influences on soil formation and manipulation.

For further details on soil analysis, click here.

For information on sampling and recording consultancy, click here; and for testing and analysis information, click here.

SASAA also provides analysis of aggregate materials (industrial wastes) and metal artefacts:

• Aggregates consist of slag, pottery/bone fragments, charcoal/coal, metallurgical ceramics, partially fused materials (be it ore or others) and raw metals. 

• Analytical techniques used include: SEM-EDAX, XRD, ICP-AES, ICP-MS.

• For further details on aggregate analysis (as Industrial waste analysis), click here.

• For further details on metal artefact analyses, click here.