Geophysical Applications in Mapping the Subsurface Structure of Archaeological Site at Lembah Bujang, Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

Lembah Bujang is one of Peninsular Malaysia’s most important areas for archaeology as excavations in this area have revealed many traces of Malaysia’s prehistory. The site is one of the oldest known place human activities the Peninsula. The aim of this study is to map and understand the subsurface structure of the survey area which is one of the archaeologically interesting areas. Geophysical methods are used because it is nondestructive and do not disturb the site. The methods are relatively quick and the results are used as a guide for subsequent excavation work. So it can greatly help in setting the digging priorities as geophysical surveying can reveal, for instance, important subsurface features like monuments, tunnels, voids, or buried walls. The geophysical methods used in this study were the magnetic gradiometer, 2‐D electrical resistivity and ground penetrating radar (GPR) method. The integration of these three methods can be beneficial as each method has its strength and limitation. The specific area of study is in Sungai Batu and the results show that the sedimentation consists of sandy clay, alluvium and boulders with a depth of between 0 m to 15 m.