Dr. Rubén G. Mendoza, PhD

Introduction: This lab deliverable consists of a mock exercise intended to orient you on how best to layout and orient the unit area to be excavated by your team. This exercise will require that we collect and deploy both equipment and materials in a campus-based mock exercise, and do so as a team. Once we have completed the exercise, you will be given further instructions on how to proceed.

Instructions: After we have completed the inventory of equipment that will be transported to the project site, you will proceed to do the following:

1. Collect at least four metal stakes, a spool of string, a line level, metric tape measures, a Brunton compass (where available), and a trowel and or shovel.
2. Using those guidelines specified in Staking a Unit, first identify the location of your mock excavation unit.
3. Position a stake at what will constitute the northwest corner of your individual excavation unit, and then use the compass to obtain a north-south line based on True North. Note: Your professor will review how to obtain corrections for Topographic map declination.
4. Having obtained a north-south line, use your metric measuring tape to measure a distance from the center of the first stake positioned at Datum to the second stake at a distance of 2 meters.
5. Having obtained the 2 meter measure, position the second stake at that new location.
6. With the north-south line and stakes now set, proceed to obtain the hypotenuse for a 1m x 2m unit, and obtain a right-triangle measurement from the northwest corner stake to the southeast corner position for the third stake, and measure one meter from stake two to stake three where the length of the hypotenuse intersects with the one meter measure so noted.
7. Having obtained the intersection of the hypotenuse with the east end of the one-meter measure by way of drawing together two metric tapes, position your third stake at the precise location where the hypotenuse measure intersects with the one-meter measurement.
8. Repeat the hypotenuse measure from the southwest stake to the projected location of the northeast stake, and place your fourth stake at the northeast corner.
9. With all stakes positioned, now anchor a string line from the northwest stake and run the string around each of the stakes in such a fashion that the string line is rendered as taught as possible.
10. Finally, prepare a measure of string at least an arms-length or cubit longer than the hypotenuse from the northwest corner to the southeast corner of the unit, and anchor said string line to the northwest unit datum or stake, and position your line level on this final length of string.
11. Await further instructions from your professor.

Note: Once you have successfully completed the effective and efficient layout of your excavation unit, and prior to your departure this day, you are to collect all materials and equipment used this day and return to their original sources. Please note that your team is responsible for the proper return of all supplies and equipment to their storage areas. This is also the case at the field site where we will designate a specific location for all tools and supplies.