Abstract
This article presents an assessment of the effectiveness of manual auger testing as a tool to predict subsurface artifact density. Sherd counts obtained from auger tests are compared with 1m × 1m test excavations of the same grid square. At several residential locations in the Mexican state of Veracruz, the correlation between auger sherd counts and excavation sherd counts is unexpectedly low. Several potential factors are explored and analyses indicate that the ability of auger tests to predict subsurface sherd density is highly dependent on overall artifact density and spatial distribution of artifacts. Methodological factors such as small sample size, differential recording strategies between auger and excavation procedures and the fact that large sherds are commonly broken during soil extraction by the auger are also potential factors.
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