The Mk II sampler: A device to collect sediment cores for analysis of uncontaminated DNA

Abstract

We describe an improved piston corer, the Mk II, for sampling soft sediments for ancient DNA analysis. The original Mk I model, designed to minimize contamination and successfully used in New Zealand, was subsequently deployed on Easter Island where three problems arose. Two of these problems related to sediment and water entering the core barrel and contaminating samples. The other difficulty was that plant material accumulated ahead of the piston and blocked the corer aperture. Design improvements were made to the prototype model and eliminated these problems.

Keywords

Corers, Livingstone, ancient DNA analysis, soft sediments.