Examining the Use of Gradiometers in Maritime Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Needle, Meet Haystack: The Role of Magnetometers in Underwater Archaeological Research and the Evolution of Interpreting Magnetic Data for Cultural Resource Investigations", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Marine magnetometers are a powerful and proven tool for detecting shipwrecks during archaeological reconnaissance surveys. Marine gradiometers, composed of two or more magnetometer sensors in a towed array, have seen relatively limited use amongst maritime archaeologists during Phase I investigations, partially due to the increased cost and complexity relative to their single-sensor counterparts. However, gradiometers have the potential to increase detection rates and improve the characterization of magnetic sources during processing and analysis. Additionally, the usage of gradiometers can ease the removal of regional magnetic gradients and diurnal variation, as well as eliminate the selection of false positives related to geomagnetic storm sudden onset signatures (Carrier et al. 2016). This paper examines the interpretation of transverse gradiometer datasets from shipwreck sites, and identifies some useful processing techniques currently being employed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Needle, Meet Haystack: The Role of Magnetometers in Underwater Archaeological Research and the Evolution of Interpreting Magnetic Data for Cultural Resource Investigations

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow