Loose materials in Unit OH2

Caitlin Chaves Yates – August 2011

Synopsis
Disturbed Accumulations
- Preserved Accumulations
Collapse
Laminations

Synopsis

^plow	Series of accumulations in the upper layers of OH2 that were disturbed by plowing	v4
^accum	Preserved accumulations with materials from nearby building	v8
^collapse	Materials resulting from the collapse and degradation of a nearby building	v8
^lam	Thin layers of laminations, or thin layers of build-up caused by the presence of water	v8

Disturbed Accumulations

The upper accumulations of OH2 (^plow) were probably naturally deposited after the area ceased to be used, but they were eventually disturbed by modern plowing. The top features of OH2 include abraded ceramics and lots of organic material.

Preserved Accumulations

The preserved accumulations below the plow line include two thick layers (f4 and f5). Numerous sealings were found in these layers. They appear to be laid down over time, rather than dumped in place and therefore the excavators concluded that the materials came from nearby.

Collapse

Perhaps the most informative layers of OH2 belong to the collapsed materials (^collapse). This deposit of materials included bricky materials and thick deposit including numerous clay sealings.

Laminations

At the lowest excavated levels of OH2, 2 features of laminations were identified. These thin flakey layers were formed when water was trapped in the area and deposited the thin layers of dirt. The thickness of layers indicate that this action took place over a considerable amount of time.