Managing Missteps: Complications with Marine Magnetometer Surveys and Data Interpretation

Summary

Marine magnetometer surveys are incredibly useful for identifying buried cultural resources.  Magnetometers are extremely sensitive instruments that measure anomalies within Earth’s magnetic field.  Ferrous materials often associated with man-made objects create these anomalies that archaeologists can identify to potentially find historic and prehistoric sites.  Due to the potentially small size of the magnetic readings, any complications in the survey can mask or mislead the interpreter.  Much of the surveyors that operate within the oil and gas industry rely heavily on surveying with a single magnetometer, which if not utilized properly can create multiple problems for archaeologists.  Magnetic data with bottom strikes or collected during geomagnetic storms are common issues.  This paper will address how to identify common errors within magnetic data and how to prevent or workout these errors.      

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Setbacks and Solutions Within Archaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 167