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| Boyd uses his trowel to expose the pithouse's distinctive central hearth or firepit. The orange-colored oxidized earth is the "thermal rind" of the firepit and was caused by prolonged intense burning (and iron present in the soil). The cluster of rounded caliche cobbles to the left and beneath the hearth is a natural gravel deposit left by the stream and is completely unrelated to the house. Photo by Kris Erickson. |