Geomagnetic Prospection Research Articles

The Final Bronze/Early Iron Age in the Old Zerafshan Delta, Uzbekistan: Pilot Investigations at Kimirek-kum-1

ABSTRACT The transition between the Final Bronze and Early Iron Age remains one of the least understood periods in the archaeology of southern Central Asia. In this paper, we introduce the newly discovered site of Kimirek-kum-1 (floruit ca. 1250–1050 cal b.c.) in the old delta of the Zerafshan River in present-day Uzbekistan. Combined pedestrian survey, geomagnetic prospection, hand augering, and stratigraphic excavation, conducted between 2021 and 2023, demonstrate the site’s unique potential to improve our understanding of the Final Bronze/Early Iron Age transition and the interface between the Central Eurasian steppes to the north and the Indo-Iranian world to the south. Notably, our investigations yielded nearly 400 objects in copper alloys, lead, gold, and semi-precious stone. These findings strongly suggest that Kimirek-kum-1 represents a substantial new Final Bronze/Early Iron Age center with extensive external links. It raises critical questions about the continuity of long-distance exchanges and elite networks after the end of the Oxus civilization.

Fusion and integration of heterogeneous close range remote sensing and geophysical data. The case of Grumentum.

Abstract This paper deals with the integration and fusion of UAV-based imagery, including Vis-NIR multispectral and infrared thermography data, with georadar and geomagnetic prospecting, applied on Grumentum, pre-Roman and Roman city, with an important phase dated to Late Antiquity, of the ancient Lucania, in Basilicata region. The data were processed individually and then integrated with each other in order to recover as much information as possible from the different signals. Due to the qualitative and quantitative approaches to the integration and fusion of the diverse data sets and features, it was possible to detect some urban blocks (insulae) reasonably referable to the Roman age, although obviously not datable, and other features spatially linked to the late antique/early medieval church. Grumentum’s experience shows considerable potential as well as limits in the use of the image fusion-based approach for the enhancement of archaeological features, from which emerges the need to continue experimenting these approaches on a greater number of case studies.

Integrated Optically Pumped Magnetometer for Measurements within Earth’s Magnetic Field

We present a portable optically pumped magnetometer instrument for ultra-sensitive measurements within the Earth's magnetic field. The central part of the system is a sensor head operating a MEMS-based Cs vapor cell in the light-shift dispersed Mz mode. It is connected to a compact, battery-driven electronics module by a flexible cable. We briefly review the working principles of the device and detail on the realization of both, sensor head and electronics. We show shielded and unshielded measurements within a static magnetic field amplitude of 50 uT demonstrating a noise level of the sensor system down to 140 fT/\sqrt{Hz} and a sensor bandwidth of several 100 Hz. In a detailed analysis of sensor noise we reveal the system to be limited by technical sources with straightforward strategies for further improvement towards its fundamental noise limit of 12 fT/\sqrt{Hz}. We assess the parameters defining the sensor bandwidth by theoretical modeling based on the Bloch equations. Finally, we compare our sensors' performance to a commercial SQUID system in a measurement environment typical for geomagnetic observatory practice and geomagnetic prospection.

Setting the Boundaries of Early Neolithic Settlement Sites: The Ditch-Digging Practices in the Eastern Balkans

AbstractThis article presents the current state of research on the Early Neolithic settlement enclosures in the Eastern Balkans (ca. 6200/6000–5500 cal. BC), with a focus set on the ditch-digging practices. A large database was accumulated in the last decade during surface surveys, large-scale excavations, and geomagnetic prospection, demonstrating conclusively that ditch enclosures were indeed a tradition rather than an exception. In the Eastern Balkans, enclosures consist mostly of single or multiple ditches and rarely a combination of ditch and wooden, emplectum, or a stone wall. Moreover, some sites existed long enough that the development of the settlement pattern demanded also changes in the enclosures’ layout and/or design. Most of the settlements were enclosed as early as their initial stages. However, no enclosure features have been identified at the earliest Neolithic sites in the area even though this might reflect biased research strategies.

Vector Magnetometry Using Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems: An Example of Application for Planetary Exploration

Geomagnetic prospection is an efficient and environmentally friendly geophysical method for the analysis of the magnetic minerals’ distribution in the subsurface. High-resolution measurements require on-ground campaigns. However, these activities might imply high costs, risk and time consumption. Some more recent works have started to use magnetometers on-board remote piloted aircrafts. Normally, they fly at a constant altitude and use scalar probes. This configuration permits the determination of the magnitude of the magnetic field but not the direction, and requires advanced techniques for in-depth interpretation of the sources. In this manuscript, we describe the accommodation of a system for vector magnetometry in a drone whose flight altitude follows the elevation of the terrain. This singularity improves the capability of interpretation, including constraints in dating due to the record of the geomagnetic field. The work consists of the design, development and implementation of a solidary payload system anchored to the body of the platform in order to determine the vector magnetic field. It describes the details of the system and the performance characteristics obtained after the calibration, as well as its demonstration via a field campaign in the spatter deposits of Cerro Gordo volcano in Campos de Calatrava volcanic province in Spain.

Field Research in the Targowisko Region in 2018–2019

The article presents the results of test excavations at three sites in the early Neolithic settlement region of Targowisko, carried out in 2018–2019. The goal of these investigations was the detection of fragments of Neolithic settlement zones where only one building phase has survived. It was decided to perform this task using a magnetometer as part of a slightly wider program of geomagnetic prospection. The second goal was to acquire sets of arti- and ecofacts related to the shortest possible period of time, i.e. equal to the existence of one family living in one house, representing one cultural tradition. The third goal was to explain the generators and mechanisms of early Neolithic cultural transformation from a micro-regional perspective.

Archaeological Investigation at the Urartian Sites of Bastam Castle Using Magnetics Method

Archaeological Investigation at the Urartian Sites of Bastam Castle Using Magnetics Method

Superconductor Electronics: Status and Outlook

Superconductor electronics combines passive and active superconducting components and sometimes normal resistors into functional circuits and systems that also include room-temperature electronics for amplification, power sources, necessary controls, etc., usually computer operated. Furthermore, complete systems include magnetic and electromagnetic shielding, cryogenic enclosures, and increasingly a cryocooler in self-contained units. Components or devices of low or high critical temperature superconductors include inductances (coils), passive transmission lines, resonators, antennae, filters, as well as active elements: Josephson junctions, Josephson oscillators, and superconducting quantum interference devices. Of multiple demonstrated applications, mostly but not only in science and metrology, currently most successful are voltage standards, astronomy detectors and large telescope cameras, instruments for material characterization, and magnetometers for geomagnetic prospecting. Major current efforts concentrate on energy-efficient high-end computing and quantum computing. The outcomes of these efforts are likely to be known in the course of the following decade.

Wleń jako miejsce centralne

Wleń jako miejsce centralne

Application of Hilbert‐like transforms for enhanced processing of full tensor magnetic gradient data

ABSTRACTCommonly, geomagnetic prospection is performed via scalar magnetometers that measure values of the total magnetic intensity. Recent developments of superconducting quantum interference devices have led to their integration in full tensor magnetic gradiometry systems consisting of planar‐type first‐order gradiometers and magnetometers fabricated in thin‐film technology. With these systems measuring directly the magnetic gradient tensor and field vector, a significantly higher magnetic and spatial resolution of the magnetic maps is yield than those produced via conventional magnetometers.In order to preserve the high data quality in this work, we develop a workflow containing all the necessary steps for generating the gradient tensor and field vector quantities from the raw measurement data up to their integration into high­resolution, low­noise, and artefactless two‐dimensional maps of the magnetic field vector. The gradient tensor components are processed by superposition of the balanced gradiometer signals and rotation into an Earth‐centred Earth‐fixed coordinate frame. As the magnetometers have sensitivity lower than that of gradiometers and the total magnetic intensity is not directly recorded, we employ Hilbert‐like transforms, e.g., integration of the gradient tensor components or the conversion of the total magnetic intensity derived by calibrated magnetometer readings to obtain these values. This can lead to a better interpretation of the measured magnetic anomalies of the Earth's magnetic field that is possible from scalar total magnetic intensity measurements. Our conclusions are drawn from the application of these algorithms on a survey acquired in South Africa containing full tensor magnetic gradiometry data.

Multi-Sensor Geomagnetic Prospection: A Case Study from Neolithic Thessaly, Greece

Multi-sensor prospecting is a fast-emerging paradigm in archaeological geophysics. Given suitable ground conditions for navigation, sensor arrays drastically increase efficiency in data collection. In particular, geomagnetic prospecting benefits from this development. Despite these advancements, data processing still lacks a best-practice approach. Conventional processing methods developed for gridded data has been challenged by sensor arrays “roaming” in the landscape. In realization of the issue, the Innovative Geophysical Approaches for the Study of Early Agricultural Villages of Neolithic Thessaly (IGEAN) Project explored various innovative techniques for the betterment of the multi-sensor geomagnetic data processing. As a result, a modular pipeline is produced with minimal user intervention. In addition to standard steps, such as data clipping, various other algorithms have been introduced. This pipeline is tested over 20 Neolithic settlements in Thessaly, Greece, three of which are presented here in detail. The proposed workflow provides drastic improvements over raw data. As a result of these improvements, the IGEAN project revealed astonishing details on architectural elements, settlement enclosures, and paleolandscapes, changing completely the existing perspective of the Neolithic habitation in Thessaly.

Hans-Ulrich Voß, Sergiu Musteață, Alexandru Popa, Daniel Burger und Johannes Kalmbach, Putineşti, raionul Floreşti – eine Siedlung der Santana-de-Mureş-Kultur im Norden der Republik Moldau. Ein Vorbericht / Putineşti, Floreşti – A Settlement of the Sântana-de-Mureș Culture in the North of the Republic of Moldova: A Preliminary Report

The History and Geography Faculty of the „Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University of Chişinău (Moldova), the Römisch-Germanische Kommission des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Frankfurt am Main (Germany), and the Bonn University has continued during Summer 2015 the investigation of a late Roman/early Migration period settlement of the Sântana-de-MureşCulture (c. AD 230 - 430/450) on the southern slope of the Cubolta Valley at Putinești, raionul Florești. The site is part of an area of settlement some 9,0 km long on the eastern edge of the Cubolta-valley, an area intensively colonized already in prehistoric times (Neolithic, Bronze Age). The Late Antiquity settlement is already known from previous fieldwork. During the last year, geomagnetic prospections and aerial photogrammetry procedures were performed. A two-chamber pottery-kiln for specialized production of the characteristic wheel-made pottery was detected during the geomagnetic prospection and documented in drill profiles.

Towards an operative use of remote sensing for exploring the past using satellite data: The case study of Hierapolis (Turkey)

Abstract This paper is focused on the presentation and discussion of an object oriented approach, applied to the Hierapolis (Turkey) site, to automatically detect the subtle features linked to buried archaeological remains. The data processing is applied twice: (i) first, globally at the whole image and, (ii) second, at the significant subsets identified by global analysis, in order to refine the previously obtained categorization. Object oriented approaches are usually based on two main steps: i) first the segmentation, ii) then the classification. Herein, we first performed the unsupervised classification step and, then, the segmentation. This choice is given by the specificity of archaeological issue, in particular: (i) the subtle features/targets to be identified are partially or totally unknown and characterized by a very small spectral separability from the background, and therefore (ii) the discrimination between archaeological class and substrates likely suffers significant confusion. To cope with these issues, the first step is based on an unsupervised classification, which provides a first ‘rough’ categorization of pixels; the second step, based on the segmentation, enables us to extract the geometric shape, and, in turn, to only categorize as archaeological class those pixels belonging to geometrically (rectangular and linear) shaped clusters. Outputs from this classification identify rectangular and linear features of archaeological interest whose size suggested that they may be a farm and some sectors of an aqueduct, respectively. Results from satellite based analysis were successfully evaluated by georadar and geomagnetic prospection along with field survey. From georadar and geomagnetic prospection we were able i) to confirm the presence of buried remains and ii) to detail and characterize these archaeological features at the subsoil level as well as to define the local stratigraphy. From field survey we dated the detected buried remains to a period spanning from Imperial Roman to early Byzantine historical times.

Calibration of SQUID vector magnetometers in full tensor gradiometry systems

Measurement of magnetic vector or tensor quantities, namely of field or field gradient, delivers more details of the underlying geological setting in geomagnetic prospection than a scalar measurement of a single component or of the scalar total magnetic intensity. Currently, highest measurement resolutions are achievable with superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)-based systems.Due to technological limitations, it is necessary to suppress the parasitic magnetic field response from the SQUID gradiometer signals, which are a superposition of one tensor component and all three orthogonal magnetic field components. This in turn requires an accurate estimation of the local magnetic field. Such a measurement can itself be achieved via three additional orthogonal SQUID reference magnetometers. It is the calibration of such a SQUID reference vector magnetometer system that is the subject of this paper.A number of vector magnetometer calibration methods are described in the literature. We present two methods that we have implemented and compared, for their suitability of rapid data processing and integration into a full tensor magnetic gradiometry, SQUID-based, system.We conclude that the calibration routines must necessarily model fabrication misalignments, field offset and scale factors, and include comparison with a reference magnetic field. In order to enable fast processing on site, the software must be able to function as a stand-alone toolbox.

The Early Bronze Age settlement of Fidvár, Vráble (Slovakia): reconstructing prehistoric settlement patterns using portable XRF

This paper presents first results of chemical analyses of sediment samples from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) settlement Fidvár near Vráble (Slovakia). Large-scale geomagnetic prospection revealed detailed architectural remains of a fortified settlement. Other structures such as an earthwork of the linear pottery culture and at least two Roman march camps were found too. An Auger programme provided sediment samples of different depths, A) from an EBA house and the outer fortification ditch, B) from a potential metal workshop area as indicated by surface finds, and C) from an area located in the settlement's centre. The samples were analysed by a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometer in order to investigate the vertical and horizontal distribution of chemical signatures. The comparison of geophysical data and three-dimensional chemical patterns gives us the opportunity to determine the human impact and to reconstruct activity patterns. The potentials and limits in the application of pXRF in archaeological soil chemical surveys are evaluated by systematic comparisons with high resolution laboratory measurements, including atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The pXRF analyses can be reproduced well and show a good accuracy. Whilst (p)XRF analyses reflect the total composition of archaeological soil samples, the results of the AAS and ICP-OES analyses are fundamentally influenced by the acid digestion or extraction methods used. The pXRF analyses of the Vráble soils showed typical patterns of human occupation. For example, there are strong positive correlations between phosphorous, strontium and calcium. Phosphorous shows an enrichment in pathways and the fortification ditch. It is less strongly enriched within the sediments of house structures. Similar results apply to calcium and strontium distribution. But compared to the respective concentrations in sediment samples from the ditch they show a considerably higher variation in samples associated with house structures; that is, individual samples of sediments from house structures contained high concentrations of both, calcium and strontium. The deposits of an area that according to surface finds was thought to represent a potential metal workshop did not show indicative chemical signatures. Targeted excavations confirmed the absence of such as workshop. Finally it was shown that the refill history of the innermost fortification ditch (sample area D) and the overall cultural occupation sequence at the site correlate strongly with the chemical signatures of the respective ditch profile. The systematic variation of key elements along the profile opens up an entirely new perspective for interpreting the site's history. Overall, the study shows the great potential of pXRF as valuable part of an archaeological survey toolkit.

Inversion of geo-magnetic full-tensor gradiometer data

Abstract The fast and sensitive SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) system, which was developed at IPHT Jena, allows the geo-magnetic prospection of large land areas. The system's simultaneous high-resolution recording of all components of the Earth's magnetic field gradient tensor represents a high-quality data base for precise inversion calculations. Thus, we developed a software tool for the fast and direct inversion of full-tensor data from especially dipole-like sources. Our motivation is to localize buried magnetic objects and inhomogeneities in the underground only by measuring the gradient components at the surface. The application of the algorithm will be shown by two examples, first on a synthetic data set and second on a real data set measured at the IPHT test site with well-defined buried targets.

Population history and palaeoenvironment in the Skomantai archaeological site, West Lithuania: Two thousand years

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary investigations, i.e., archaeological, lithological, sedimentological, palynological, chronological (14C and thermoluminescence (TL)), geochemical and geophysical, to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions and peculiarities of the population history at the Skomantai archaeological site (e.g., hill fort, western and southeastern foot settlements), W Lithuania. Detailed lithological and sedimentological investigations, are applied to describe the cultural formations that comprise two cultural layers, both in the Skomantai hill fort territory, and two foot settlements. These formations developed in response to human occupation intervals according to archaeological data, 14C and TL surveys date to the Early Iron Age – Migration Period and the mid-13th c.–mid-14th c. AD, when the site burned down after the attacks by the Teutonic Order. Collected ceramics suggest that representatives of the West Balts' Barrow culture settled in the area during the Early Iron Age. Distinct erosive events are most probably related to reconstructing the hill fort, coupled with the above-mentioned intervals of people activity. Increased amounts of particular elements, i.e., S, Br, Ca, Mn and P, recorded in the cultural layers suggest the predominance of timber constructions in the territory and intensive wood use. Preliminary results from geomagnetic prospection have provided the opportunity to identify linearly arranged archaeological features that may indicate the location of a former building or fence structure. The paleobotanical evidence establishes that human interference in the environment was noticeable during the Early Middle Ages, including mixed pastoral/arable land use with Secale cerealia and Fagopyrum cultivation.

Magnetic Prospecting for the Archaeology of Classe (Ravenna)

The town of Classe was founded at the beginning of the fifth century ad south of Ravenna. There are a few surviving monuments, such as the basilica of St Apollinare in Classe, as well as other important sites documented by the excavations of the University of Bologna and the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia Romagna. These are situated particularly in the areas of the commercial port and the Basilica of St Severo. Much of the remains of the ancient town are hidden beneath modern soils. An integrated project, initiated in 2005, was conducted to learn more about the buried remains and the ancient landscape of Classe. The project used historical and cartographic sources, geology and geomorphology studies, analysis of aerial photography, geophysical and remote sensing techniques, aerial and field walking surveys, and their integration with data from archaeological excavations. In order to obtain a synthesis of all the collected data, different data sets were processed and managed using a GIS platform. The paper presents some results of this research obtained from different geomagnetic prospecting systems in three relevant areas of Classe, particularly important for understanding the ancient urban topography of the site. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geophysical survey at late roman Mediana

This article discusses the results of geophysical surveys conducted at Mediana, near the town Nis (Serbia) in April 2010. The research was realized in cooperation with the Romano-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute, the Archaeological Institute and the University of Belgrade. Mediana geomagnetic prospecting sites, as a form of non-destructive methods of investigation, provided many new details about the architectural and archaeological remains, particularly in the eastern part of the site.

Late Vinca culture settlement at Crkvine in Stubline: Household organization and urbanization in the Late Vinca culture period

The site Crkvine is situated in the vicinity of the village Stubline in the borough of Obrenovac around 40 km to the southwest of Belgrade (Serbia). In the first section of this work we present the comprehensive report about the investigations carried out so far. The geomagnetic prospection undertaken from 2006 to 2008 covered an area of 32,400 square meters and the obtained results indicate the existence of around 100 houses built in rows around the rather large open areas as well as the trenches surrounding the settlement. The investigations of the house 1/2008 dating from the Vinca culture D-2 period yielded in addition to the data concerning its interior organization also a unique find of the group of 46 figurines with 11 models of miniature tools. In the second section of this work we discuss the prospects, which future investigations of this site and its environment could provide concerning the study of the social organization in the very end of the Vinca culture.