FIGURE 6-7. AERIAL VIEW OF ISLAND SALLY AND THE AOMON CRYPT. Thestraight line separating water and vegetation is the northern side of the original sheetpile causeway connecting Sally and Tilda. Trees and shrubs have been removed and vines have invaded the Crypt area. Refilling of the PACE depression has begun—seen in the center of the photo. (Spring 1978) 6.8.2 Pre-Cleanup Explorations Beginning in October 1977 and extending to October 1978, only a few exploratory forays were made into the Aomon Crypt area (Figures 6-7 and 6-8). Large trees and shrubs were cleared from the area bounded by the corner posts during the fall of 1977. A few test holes were dug to a depth of five feet to gather information about the water table, to check soil stability, and to collect soil and water samples for radionuclide analysis. During April 1978, seven wells were placed in the land bridge between causeway and lagoon for the purpose of measuring tidal influence in the Crypt proper. Several solubility tests were conducted to see how much of the plutonium activity would settle out with other solids (at least 98 percent settled out). Interest and activity increased during the summer of 1978 when additional exploratory excavations and water and soil sampling missions were conducted. Interest continued to increase and culminated in a meeting in Honolulu on 6-8 November 1978 wherein several excavation plans were aired, a proposed plan was selected, and participating agencies were assigned specific tasks and areas of responsibility. 174