Grid-system

A collection of rectangular grid systems devised or adopted by the British for use on military maps. There is no related global plan for the many grids, belts, and zones making ...

tangent-plane grid system

Earth science; Mapping science

A grid system in a plane tangent to the ellipsoid and having its origin at the point of tangency. The origin is usually given the coordinates 10 000 E and 10 000 N, or some ...

universal transverse mercator (UTM) grid system

Geography; Physical geography

Rectangular coordinate system used to find location of points on the Earth's surface. Based on the Universal Transverse Mercator projection system.

amino-acid racemization

Archaeology; General archaeology

A method used in the dating of both human and animal bones. Its special significance is that with a small sample (10g) it can be applied to material up to 100,000 years old or ...

uranium series dating

Archaeology; General archaeology

A dating method based on the radioactive decay of isotopes of uranium. It has proved particularly useful for the period before 50,000 years ago, which lies outside the time range ...

light-table

Archaeology; General archaeology

A glass-topped table illuminated from underneath, used in the laboratory photography of archaeological specimens.

biface

Archaeology; General archaeology

A stone artifact flaked on both faces.

ethnology

Archaeology; General archaeology

A subset of cultural anthropology concerned with the comparative study of contemporary cultures, with a view to deriving general principles about human society.