Lawrence Nzuve
After the short break after the field season, some members of the crew are back to work to continue with the wet sieving. A large quantity of sediment was painstakingly carried back to the TBI Ileret field station at the end of the field season from the excavation sites.
Aike (foreground) and John Lonyericho at work: sediment is first soaked and then washed
The washed sediment is dried in the sun for a while and then it is put back into the screens to go through again slowly, looking for any small fossil fragments. Anything that is found is put into the sample bags and are clearly marked with such details as the field number of the specimen, the area where the specimen was discovered and the part of the body eg maxilla, tooth etc. Experienced scientists go through the bits from the sample bags carefully. Very occasionally additional fragments are found that fit with the original specimen.
Aike (left) and Arbolo going through the dried sediment looking for fossil fragemtns: this work needs both patience and concentration
