COURSE DESCRIPTION

Archaeologists use geophysical survey techniques to map subsurface archaeological features without excavation. Using sophisticated surveying equipment, we can measure any of a number of physical properties, such as the Earth's magnetic field, the resistance of soil to the passage of an electrical current, or the response of subsurface features to electromagnetic pulses.

The basic premise behind all geophysical survey is that human-made features such as walls, floors, pits and ovens immediately beneath the ground surface distort these physical properties in a predictable way that can be measured and mapped. Human-made features differ in magnitude and geometry from natural or buried geological features and can tell archaeologists about past human activities at an archaeological site.

Ohio Archaeology

RM-15D Manual

FM-256 Manual

Equipmentation Exam

Imaging Reading

GeoPlot Manual

This team-taught course introduces students to two of the most important subsurface geophysical survey techniques: magnetic field gradiometry and electrical resistivity.

Students are taught basic principles of electricity, magnetism, the influence of geology on archaeogeophysical survey, processing and mapping digital data and the archaeological sequence of the Cuyahoga River valley. Students also received trainging in the practical use of geophysical equipmentation, processing software and the interpretation of maps from real archaeological sites.

Much of the course involves an extensive research project undertaken by student teams. During these projects, the students formulate and carry out an archaeological reconnaisance on an archaeological site in the Cuyahoga River valley. Links to their projects are found below.