Objective

Construction of the Hammer test bed. In this sandy soil area mostly objects were laid in the ground and covered with homogeneous sandy silt.

A large number of archaeological sites are often discovered to be buried below soil and sediments only after construction activities, such as road building, pipeline burial, or other below-ground intrusion, have commenced. This leads to costly construction delays as compliance with regulations regarding cultural resources are met. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has recently proven to be efficient at producing three-dimensional images of buried cultural features when information about the nature of radar reflections can be determined. The success of GPR surveys is to a great extent dependent on soil and sediment mineralogy, clay content, ground moisture, depth of burial, surface topography, and vegetation. Although GPR is not a geophysical method that can be immediately applied to any geographic or archaeological setting, with thoughtful modifications in acquisition and data processing methodology, GPR can be adapted to many differing site conditions; however, the GPR signature for most archaeological features has not yet been estimated.

The objective of this project was to quantify and calibrate GPR for known archaeological features that are commonly found in many areas of the United States. A field and laboratory protocol that can be modified using specific site conditions and the extent of the target features (i.e., depth and aerial) was produced. A desired end result was to facilitate more accurate and efficient detection and mapping of buried cultural remains on Department of Defense installations and ranges and other managed lands, decreasing the reliance on traditional, arbitrary excavations that are both costly and destructive.