Below Peat Stratum

     Archaeologists knew there were more layers beneath the peat, based on a series of soil cores from the site. However, they could not reach these deeper strata before the field season ended. In spite of the difficulties of working at the site, the crew reached a depth of more than 9 feet, most of it below the water table!

(Right) A mobile coring machine was able to reach the bottom of the site 18 feet below the ground surface. Soil cores allow archaeologists to see what the layers of soil look like in a single, undisturbed column. Credit: LSU Museum of Natural Science.

(Below) Researchers working at the site had more things to worry about than water seeping through the walls of the cofferdams. They also had to look out for snakes that would sometimes fall into their excavation units! Credit: LSU Museum of Natural Science.