Field tech in New Mexico showed me how to spot a buried wall just by the change in grass color

He pointed at a patch of darker green and said 'that's where the old foundation is, the soil holds more moisture there,' and I've used that trick on every dig since then; has anyone else learned something simple like that from an older archaeologist?

2 comments

2 Comments

seana149d ago

You mentioned 'it's just grass being greener over old dirt that holds water better' and you're right that its not some super secret magic trick. But you're missing that the real skill is knowing the difference between a random wet spot from a leaky hose and a buried wall discoloration that runs in a straight line for 20 feet. I've seen guys dig test pits where the grass was darker from a sprinkler head and waste a whole morning chasing nothing. The older guys can spot a linear pattern vs a random blotch and that's what makes it more than just greener grass.

lisa_wilson879d ago

Hold up, is spotting a slightly greener patch of grass really that big of a deal? I mean, I get it, a more experienced person gave you a tip, but acting like it's some ancient secret trick seems a little much. It's just grass being greener over old dirt that holds water better. I've probably walked over fifty of those spots and they were just that, slightly greener grass. Sometimes the soil just happens to be wetter there for a dozen other reasons too, like a leaky hose or a good rain puddle. It's a useful thing to notice, sure, but let's not pretend it's some sacred knowledge passed down by the gods of archaeology.