The time I misread a site grid for 2 seasons before a photo set me straight

I spent two summers on a dig outside Flagstaff, AZ and every single unit I laid out was off by about 20 degrees from true north. I kept using the old compass from the field shed and figured the local magnetic variation was just messing with me. Then a drone photo from a volunteer showed all our trenches sitting crooked compared to the standing walls we were trying to match. Turns out the compass was busted, and I'd been teaching the new students my wrong method the whole time. Has anyone else had a basic measurement tool quietly fail on them for months?

0 comments

0 Comments

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this discussion.