How to Sample

Place the sharpened end of the tube, with a foam plug, at the target point.

• target fine-medium sand with original sedimentary structure
• avoiding bioturbation and soil
• if possible, sample a thick unit with relatively uniform sediment within a foot radius
• sample depth MUST be >1 m below the landform top to minimize cosmogenic dose errors

Pound sample tube into outcrop until you feel/hear change indicating tube is full.
The tube must be full and packed tightly to avoid mixing during transport.

Sample for the environmental dose rate into a 1-quart ziplock freezer bag. Never use canvas rock sample bags because very fine particles will dissipate from the sample bag.
Representatively capture sediment from 30 cm radius surrounding the sample, while excavating tube.

If heterogeneous sediment is within 30 cm, collect representative samples from each unique horizon and record the distance to the DE sample.

With open end of tube carefully pointed up, pack any extra space with more sediment, packing lightly. If greater than 1-cm needs to be added, lay a strip of duct tape in to mark beginning of sample before filling and record this on sample sheet and notes.

Place cap on end and tape both vertically and horizontally with at least two layers of duct tape. Turn tube over, removing pounding cap, fill if necessary, cap and tape.

Sample horizon for moisture content using an airtight container, fill completely.

Collect sediment farthest point within outcrop once tube is extracted.
Note evidence for ground or vadose water and describe expected water content history of the sampled deposit.

Stratigraphic context is important, of course. Depth of burial below the landform surface is needed to calculate cosmic dose rate. If there has been recent erosion or excavation, estimate original depth. If the sample was collected from a deposit indicating incremental accumulation and burial, make notes of the depth and significance of buried soil-surfaces. Record latitude, longitude, and elevation of the sample, also for calculation of the cosmic dose rate. Finally, record any other sedimentological observations of possible interest.

NOTE: Clast-supported and coarse-grain deposits will be difficult to impossible for tube-style collection. See methods for these types of deposits here.

• New project form (pdf)
• Sediment samples (pdf)
• Sediment samples (.xlsx)
• Samples from single cores (.xlsx)
• Samples from multiple cores (.xlsx)
• Pottery samples (pdf)
• Pottery samples (.xlsx)