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MHY-14-1992 17 15 FROM Mills Associates TO San Joaquin Co P.05 BUCKEYE RANCH ( 4-1-92 ) 5 excavatable material and possible human remains needs to be defined at this site . JANUARY 24, 1992 VISIT TO THE PROPOSED BUCKEYE RANCH PROJECT On January* 24', 1992 Dave Fisher visited the project with. Professor Johnson. One of the main goals of ,this visit was to collect a small number of soil samples to see if the limits of the midden deposits within the project could be defined using a varietv of chemical tests . The site which encompasses wa visi a and two soil samples were collected. A simple was co lecte rom a 15 foot diaMete it and another sample was extracts rom an adjacent pit 3� eet on its longest side in the location of One sample came from , ( near Site , and another was taken east of tnis location. Three samples were taken beginning at ( these locations corresnond fairlY closely to locaLions . 3, 1 , and 20 shown on a that is on file at the A Copy vi Luis map was included in the record search and was provided to- the consulting archaeologists . The tenth sample came from near the center of , and the last soil was collected from -near the proposed • The eleven soil samples were extracted below the grass and duff level from depths of ten to 20 centimeters . Each sample was tested for phosphates . carbonates , pH, and the color was determined using a Munsell soil color chart . Prior to collecting the soil it was determined on the basis of soil maps .prepared by the Soil Conservation Service that most of the existing soils in the project had a pH of acid to neutral . Investigations by archaeologists at California State University, Sacramento ( CSUS ) since 1975 have shown that archaeological sites throu;pout much of the Sacramento valley and Delta tend to have alkaline pH levels and if they are late in time carbonates will also be present . Additional studies have also demonstrated that the relative depth to which carbonates have leached in an archaeological midden ,can provide. a relative idea concerning the possible antiquity of the site. This method was pioneered. by James Johnston at CSUS . in 1974-1975. He had been an agricultural sciences major at California Polytechnic University and had extensive experience with soil chemistry. -The carbonate dating technique has been used extensively in the southern Cascade Mountains , in the upper Sacramento valley, on the western side of the lower- Sacramento valley and Delta (particularly on Laguna Creek at CA-SAC-265 (Sheeders 1983; between the Cosumnes and Mokelumne Rivers ) and CA-SAC-267 (Johnson 1976 ; on the Cosumnes River near Sloughhouse ) . In order for it to work carbonates have to be present , the surrounding soils must be acidic or neutral and the archaeological deposits must be alkaline. All of these conditions are met at Buckeye Ranch and the almost exact definition of the limits of the middens and their probable general antiquity can be determined by collecting and analyzing a series of small samples ( less than 50 grams ) taken from relatively shallow depths within the soil . This methodology is relatively inexpensive and used in con4unction with auguring to determine accurate depths of the identified deposits can be