J7 loose materials

Loose materials in unit J7

August 2010- C. Chaves Yates

Synopsis

^accum	Series of natural accumulations and topsoil on top of the brickfall. These accumulations compose the top 150cm of the excavated area.	v9
^bf	Expansive "dirty" brickfall sloping across J7 from the southeast. It is filled with pottery and human remains.	v35
^ash	Ash layer just below the brickfall	v29

Accumulations

The accumulations in J7 are characterized by their uniformity. They are naturally deposited layers of brown soil. About 1/3 of the accumulations are topsoil with modern plant material. The remaining accumulations are natural build up that occurred after the area had been covered by brickfall. These accumulations are built up slowly over time by natural deposition processes such as wind and water. The notable exceptions are the sherd accumulation of f13 and the accumulation of pebbles, f21. We concluded these occurred naturally and so they are included here amongst the natural accumulations although they are of a different form than the thick soil layers that form the majority of the accumulations.
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Brickfall

About half the material removed in J7 is brickfall material. This large brickfall is characterized by gray and red unbaked bricks. They are rectangular in shape but are often only seen articulated in section. Mixed in with the brickfall are human remains and large quantities of pottery.
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Ash Layer

A very distinctive ash layer (f58) was identified in the section of k3. This layer has not been excavated but it has sharp upper and lower boundaries indicating a specific event that deposited the ash. Future excavations may explore this feature.
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