INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL GEOPHYSICS

0341-4083

Lev Eppelbaum

Dept. of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences

Tel Aviv University

 (E-mail: levap@post.tau.ac.il, room 208/Kaplun Building, Phone: 5086)

This course may be interesting not only for students-geophysicists, but also for students of archaeological and environmental Depts.

General course goals:

1. To gain a knowledge of geophysics principals and proficiency for geophysical tools employment in archaeology
2. To study information about various geophysical methods, their possibilities, preferences and shortcomings
3. To learn which geophysical techniques are the most appropriate for concrete archaeological problem
4. To develop ability how to understand successfully a geophysical experiment at archaeological site
5. To obtain experience of geophysical methods application at typical archaeological sites in Israel and abroad
6. To receive a general notion about qualitative and quantitative analysis, data processing and 3D modeling applied in archaeogeophysics

Contents

1. Introduction

1.1. Archaeological Geophysics in Israel

1.2. Geophysical targets and noises in their study

1.3. Geophysical method application for solving applied problems: General information

2. Introduction

2.1. Types of geophysical surveys and their limitations        

2.2. Two geophysical fundamentals: inverse problem solution and direct problem solution

2.3. Petrophysical support of interpretation

2.4. Consecution of geophysical data processing and interpretation

3. Magnetic Field

3.1. Basic concepts and units

3.2. Magnetic properties of minerals and rocks

3.3. Earth’s magnetic field

3.4. Direct and reverse magnetization

3.5. Brief explanation of paleomagnetic studying in archaeology

4. Magnetic field

4.1. Magnetic survey using magnetometer and gradientometer

4.2. Magnetic field temporary variations and methods of their removing

4.3. Influence of artificial magnetized objects

4.4. Influence of rugged relief

5. Inverse Problem Solution in Magnetic Prospecting

5.1. Preparing magnetic data for quantitative interpretation

5.2. Techniques of magnetic anomaly interpretation under simplified conditions

5.3. Techniques of magnetic anomaly interpretation under complicated environments

6. Gravity field

6.1. Basic concepts and units

6.2. Density properties of soil, rocks and archaeological targets

6.3. Gravity field of the Earth

6.4. Reduction of gravity fields at land

6.5. Gravity field anomalies (positive and negative) over typical archaeological objects

6.6. Quantitative interpretation (inverse problem solution) of gravity anomalies

6.7. Examples of quantitative interpretation over archaeological targets

7. Self-Potential (SP) method

7.1. Origin of Self-Potentials

7.2. Physical-geological limitations of SP method

7.3. Field survey using potential and gradient arrays

7.4. Noises in SP method and their reducing

7.5. Quantitative interpretation of SP anomalies caused by archaeological targets

8. Very Low Frequency (VLF) field of distant transmitters

8.1. VLF-transmitters: their destination, location and physical principles

8.2. VLF electromagnetic radiation as quasi-stationary field

8.3. VLF temporary variations and ways for their removing

8.4. VLF field observations and influence of rugged relief

8.5. Quantitative interpretation of VLF anomalies due to ancient remains

9. Near-surface thermal prospecting (NSTP)

9.1. Physical basis of NSTP

9.2. Thermal conductivity of archaeological targets and surrounding medium        

9.3. How we can remove influence of surface temperature waves? 

9.4. Reducing of terrain relief influence

9.5. Quantitative interpretation of temperature anomalies

9.6. NSTP and archaeological objects localization

10. Electric resistivity method

10.1. Brief physical foundation of resistivity method

10.2. Electric properties of geological rocks and archaeological targets                  

10.3. Methodology of field measurements

10.4. Analysis of resistivity maps

10.5. Quantitative interpretation of resistivity anomalies

10.6. Application of resistivity method in archaeology

11. Ground penetrating radar (GPR)

11.1. Physical principles of GPR

11.2. Methodology of field measurements

11.3. Examples of GPR application at various archaeological sites 

12. Other physical methods

12.1. Remote sensing: A common view

12.2. Global positional system and archaeology

12.3. Metal detector

12.4. Induced polarization

12.5. Near-surface seismic prospecting

12.5. Recognition of ancient earthquake patterns

13. Filtering and transformations of geophysical fields

13.1. Filtering of geophysical fields

13.2. Transformations of geophysical fields

13.3. Upward and downward continuation of geophysical fields

14. Principles of 3-D modeling of Gravity and Magnetic Fields Under Complicated Environments

14.1. 2-D, 2.5-D and 3-D description of geological medium

14.2. GSFC program for 3-D combined modeling of gravity and magnetic fields: A short review

14.3. Physical-Archaeological Model as a basic notion

14.4. Application of 3-D modeling on practice

15. Integrated Interpretation of Geophysical Data

15.1. Optimization of geophysical investigations

15.2. Choice of geophysical integration

15.3. Statistic-probabilistic approach to combined interpretation

15.4. Estimation of geophysical interpretation reliability

16. Development of 4-D geophysical-archaeological Data Base

16.1. Necessity of the geophysical-archaeological DB development

16.2. 3-D and 4-D geophysical-archaeological DB

16.3. Israeli geophysical-archaeological DB as component of a global scientific system

References

Aitken, M.J., 1974. Physics and Archaeology. Oxford University Press, London.

Eppelbaum, L.V., 2010. Archaeological geophysics in Israel: Past, Present and Future. Advances of Geosciences, 24, 45-68.

Eppelbaum, L., Ben-Avraham, Z. and Itkis, S., 2003. Ancient Roman Remains in Israel provide a challenge for physical-archaeological modeling techniques. First Break, 21 (2), 51-61.

Eppelbaum, L.V., Khesin, B.E. and Itkis, S.E., 2001. Prompt magnetic investigations of archaeological remains in areas of infrastructure development: Israeli experience. Archaeological Prospection 8(3), 163-185.

Eppelbaum, L.V., Khesin, B.E. and Itkis, S.E., 2010. Archaeological geophysics in arid environments: Examples from Israel. Journal of Arid Environments, 74, No. 7, 849-860.

Khesin, B.E., Alexeyev, B.E. and Eppelbaum, L.V., 1996. Interpretation of Geophysical Fields in Complicated Environments. Ser.: Modern Approaches in Geophysics. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Parasnis, D.S., 1997. Principles of Applied Geophysics. Chapman & Hall, London.

Vogell, A. and Tsokas, G.N. (Eds.), 1993. Theory and practice of applied geophysics, v. 7, Geophysical Exploration of Archaeological Sites, Vieweg Verlag, Wiesbaden.

Telford, W.M., Geldart, L.R. and Sheriff, R.E., 2001. Applied Geophysics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.