Attempting to standardize the documentation of buried soil anomalies using loose field notes is a fast track to corrupting your survey data. When you are standing over an open trench trying to differentiate between a natural subsidence and a culturally significant hearth, subjective descriptions like "darkish dirt with rocks" fail the test of academic rigor. If you don't lock down the exact stratigraphy and sub-surface context while the feature is exposed, that data is lost the moment the site is backfilled. This Memento system forces strict architectural and geological parameters onto raw excavation sites.
The Cost of Loose Stratigraphy
The primary friction point in earth-feature recording is standardizing the vocabulary across different field technicians. What one surveyor calls a "pit", another might call a "ditch".
This database eliminates that ambiguity immediately. Under the "Type of Earth Feature" field, the recorder must select from a hard-coded list: "Mound", "Rings", "Hearth", "Ditch/Canal/Trench", or "Posthole". By pairing this instantly with the "Associated Cultural Material" boolean (Present/Absent) and the "Context" (Surface vs. Subsurface), the system establishes a rigid typological baseline. It demands to know exactly what the anomaly is before allowing the surveyor to proceed to the physical measurements, ensuring that the "Feature #" perfectly matches the corresponding Trimble GPS data.
Granular Geological Audits
Documenting an earth feature isn't just about its shape; it's about the pedology. This template treats the dirt itself as the primary artifact.
It forces a breakdown of the "Composition", requiring the surveyor to classify the matrix as "Burnt clay", "Charcoal", "Shell", or "Rocks and soil". More critically, it demands an analysis of the sub-soil via "Sub-surface colour" and "Sub-surface Texture" (Gravel, Sand, Clay). When you are attempting to prove the existence of a pre-Hispanic oven or an ancient posthole, these specific sedimentary changes are the only evidence you have. The database structure ensures this geological data is captured uniformly, rather than being relegated to a margin note.
The Morphological Dimensions
The back half of the system acts as a digital planimeter, dedicated entirely to the internal geometry of the feature. It captures standard metrics like "Height" and "Depth", but it goes deeper for complex structures.
It isolates specific variables like "Ring thickness" and "Orientation" (noting the longest axis for sub-surface features). The true diagnostic power lies in the depth stratification fields: "Depth of top below surface" versus "Depth of bottom below surface". This dual-axis measurement allows researchers to reconstruct the exact 3D volume of the feature back in the lab. Supported by dedicated image fields for a "Component Plan" and a "Component Profile", the system guarantees that the visual evidence directly matches the mathematical plot.