excavate

Of course, that part about excavating down to a sound rock layer isn’t as easy at it sounds.

In 1878, researchers excavated gravesite remains since interpreted as belonging to a high-status warrior, which a 2017 analysis found to be female.

Next, drilling fluid helps carry away the excavated soil or rock, called the cuttings, and clear them from the hole.

In other words, we excavate a trench down from the surface, place the line, backfill the soil, and repair whatever damage to the streets and sidewalks remains.

Just like if you remove a column from a building, excavating a tunnel takes away the support from the material above.

With special equipment and construction techniques, you can excavate hole, install steel reinforcement, and fill it with concrete to create extremely strong foundation system without any dewatering required.

But, excavating a tunnel underground in unstable material can lead to some dangerous situations, like the 2010 mining accident in Chile when 33 men were trapped deep in subsurface for more than 2 months.

After a storm exposed an ancient whaling village, the Makah brought in archaeologists who worked for 11 years to excavate thousands of wooden artifacts, baskets, animal bones, and longhouses.