[Various (1971)] It would appear that the overburden must have been deposited fairly rapidly (five to six successive floodings) since there is no layering of silt and organic material and very little organic material is scattered through the silt. The soil profile, as noted, is composed of three levels: Level 1, topsoil (a very thin level); Level 2, brown overburden, 1 to 2 ft, thick; Level 3, sand-clay subsoil and occupation level. The soil ph level varied from 6.5 to 7.0 across the site. ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ALLEGHENY PLATEAU This region in southwestern New York includes Cattaragus, Chautauqua, and Allegheny Counties. In general, archaeological activities in this region were, until the 1960's, primarily directed toward the testing and excavation of mounds, earthrings, or earthworks (Parker 1922; Carpenter 1950; Guthe 1958).
With the planning of a dam at Kinzua, Pennsylvania, and the possible flooding or destruction of sites along the river, much time and money have been directed toward survey and salvage operations, particularly in the Allegheny River Basin. In particular, surveys and salvage have been conducted by the Carnegie Museum, New York State Museum, and the Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Buffalo. Each of these institutions has issued reports or is in the process of reporting on their field work. Four sites have thus far been either totally or partially excavated.