Moving up in the World: Comparing Magnetic Gradiometer Survey Results from Monumental Sites Using Small, Medium, and Large Magnetometer Systems

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The problem with monumental earthwork sites in Ohio is that they are, well, monumental in scale! These large sites, many topping 50 ha in area, are a major challenge for geophysical surveys because they simply require too much time to completely survey. However, recent advances in instrumentation and computers is making it possible to survey vast areas (well over 50 ha) in a mere fraction of the time it once took. In this paper I compare and contrast the magnetic gradiometer survey results from three fluxgate instruments used at several monumental earthwork sites in Ohio, including a handheld Geoscan Research FM256 (single gradiometer), a Foerster Instruments push cart (4-probe gradiometer), and a multichannel (5-16 probes) Sensys gradiometer system. I explore some of the issues and benefits encountered as we have moved from small, careful gridded surveys with handheld instruments to large, rapid surveys with multiprobe systems guided by RTK GPS. Though large multiprobe systems have been in use elsewhere in the world for some time, their application in the USA is only just getting under way. The discussion will include topics such as survey speed, data processing, and anomaly characterization/comparisons across the three instruments.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Monumental Surveys: New Insights from Landscape-Scale Geophysics   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24274