Geophysical Survey As a Conservation Tool
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Anthropologist Anthropology, Department of 1999 Geophysical Survey as a Conservation Tool Anne M. Kern Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebanthro Part of the Anthropology Commons Kern, Anne M., "Geophysical Survey as a Conservation Tool" (1999). Nebraska Anthropologist. 118. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebanthro/118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Anthropologist by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Geophysical Survey as a Conservation Tool AnneM. Kern With the introduction of cultural resource management and the passage offederal preservation legislation more than thirty years ago, American archeology has recognized the need for non invasive practices that produce significant, new data while preserving the non-renewable archeological record. In the early I 970s, Thomas Lyons and the National Park Service's Cultural Resource Management Program began to develop a non-invasive paradigm placing new emphasis on remote sensing techniques. Developments in geophysical methods over the past twenty to thirty years allow archeologists to preserve the archeological record, practice Lyons' non-invasive archeology, and collect high-quality data. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of geophysical applications follmvs. "As archeologists are becoming more concerned with cultural resource management, non-destructive techniques such as geophysical surveys are becoming more valuable tools. The shifting focus in American archeology tmvards management and protection of the nonrenewable archeological record has resulted in less destruction of non-threatened sites through excavation. William Lipe, in his 1974 article "A Conservation Model, " stressed this vel}' need" (Lipe 1974). For decades the National Park Service years of experiments with sites such as has been the main federal agency charged Chaco Canyon, Lyons and his office literally with the protection, conservation, and wrote the book on how remote sensing was management of the nation's cultural to be incorporated into cultural resource resources. All federal agencies were so management (Lyons and Avery 1977). charged as a result of legislation in the Lyons advocated a new methodological 1960s and 1970s. It is no surprise, then, that approach for "exploration, discovery, the National Park Service has been at the recording, evaluation, investigation, forefront of promoting the use of non monitoring, and management of cultural invasive archeological techniques. For resources" (Lyons and Scovill 1978:3). thirty years it has been refining the Rather than use the imprecise methods of applications of remote sensing and surface survey and subsurface testing, these geophysical methods to study archeological methods should be reserved for site sites with minimal impact. verification instead of site discovery. He points to the flaws in the traditional methods Non-destructive Archeology in the following scene: Thomas Lyons and the National Park Frequently archeologists still Service's Cultural Resource Management in training and with varying degrees Program began studying the applicability of of professional accomplishment and remote sensing to archeology as early as observational prowess walk the 1969 (Lyons and Scovill 1978). Based upon ground Oil site surveys. They 74 visually search for, discover and subsurface complement to the remotely concurrently assess, sift and select a sensed surface data. highly limited number of physical attributes deemed to be adequately Lyons recognized the vital importance descriptive and representative of of remote sensing and geophysical rather obvious classes of techniques for developing a non-destructive archeological and natural archeology. The application of a non phenomena. They record mentally destructive archeology is, in tum, vital for massaged observations of these judicious administration and management of physical phenomena in summary cultural resources. Volumes of information fashion in logs, diaries and on about a site can be obtained without invasive printed forms, using imprecise excavation. Multiple surveys can be terminology and syntax in an often conducted while saving the site for future undecipherable scrawl. They plot study and the development of new site locations with Brunton compass technologies. accuracy, a technique that often precludes rediscovery and positive Non-destructive Techniques identification of them at a future date. From this process comes a Several terms have been developed to highly personalized statement about refer to the variety of non-destructive the archeology of an area and the techniques now in use. As noted earlier, the natural environment, a statement remote sensing techniques Lyons began that invariably concludes more experimenting with were of a different surveying, more collecting and more nature than those in use today. Remote excavating of the resources are sensing methods, as they differ from required (Lyons and Scovill geophysical applications, refer to data 1978:4). obtained from a remote platform, such as an airplane, satellite or otherwise elevated His complaints extend to include the instrument. Aerial photography, infrared on-the-spot interpretation involved in and other measurable light in the surface collecting, the inability to replicate electromagnetic spectrum are data types the initial observations once a surface survey obtained in remote sensing (Lyons and is done, the limited nature of the data Avery 1977, Heimmer and DeVore 1995). collected from survey and testing, and the limits of human senses. This dissatisfaction Geophysical prospection implies created a paradigm he termed non looking beneath the surface rather than on destructive archeology, which utilized top of it. This is the broadest, most remotely sensed data to explore, discover, inclusive term for all geophysical and record sites. measurements taken to determine the subsurface composition. It includes both Twenty-five to thirty years ago, the non-destructive methods as well as primary tools in remote sensing available to minimally invasive techniques such as Lyons were aerial photography, satellite coring or drilling. The term is used more imagery, infrared data, and photogrammetry often in British than American archeology (Lyons and Scovill 1978). Over the last (Rapp and Hill 1998). decade or two, geophysical techniques have advanced greatly and their applicability has Non-invasive geophysical techniques been tested in archeological settings. fall into two categories, passive and active. Borrowed from geophysics, these techniques Passive methods involve instrumentation measure various physical properties of the that can precisely measure physical subsurface make-up. They provide a properties of the subsurface such as 75 magnetism and gravity. The passive method stressed the objectivity in data collecting most commonly used is some form of a with a geophysical instrument as opposed to magnetic survey. Two magnetic human detection (Lyons and Scovi11 1978). measurements are usually taken for every In sheer quantities, the amount of data point in the survey and the differences or obtained using geophysical instruments wi11 gradients are calculated in order to eliminate be exponentially greater than the amount of natural daily variations in the earth's data amassed after traditional surveying and magnetism. testing. Active techniques involve inducing an The nature of that data is also electric or magnetic field through the important. Geophysical data in digital form introduction of a current. The introductions are easy to store and retrieve. Traditional of acoustic and radar waves are also methods can produce cubic feet of artifacts considered active geophysical methods. and volumes of field notes that require Examples of these methods include: storage in already crowded curation electrical resistivity, electromagnetic facilities (Lynott 1997). Improper storage conductivity, and ground penetrating radar has the potential to damage or destroy (Heimmer and DeVore 1995). artifacts. Once an assemblage has been curated, rarely does it ever re-emerge for Geophysical Advantages further study. Whole collections have been known to disappear into a "curational As stated, the greatest advantage in abyss." Digital data have a greater potential the use of geophysical techniques is their for re-evaluation. The quality of digital data non-destructive nature. To cultural resource is not likely to diminish over the course of managers, this is an attractive quality. They time. Geophysical data are also very are able to obtain usable subsurface data precise. Depending upon the sampling while remaining true to the preservation and strategy, a traditional survey will predict the conservation ethic. By not destroying the location of a fraction of the sites in a given archeological record, the site is preserved area. Geophysical surveys can identify for future study when new technologies every potentially human-made anomaly in become available. Geophysics can give the the same area. Human alterations to the dwindling archeological record extended life landscape, such as ancient roads, trails, and maximize the amount of information agricultural fields or other features without obtainable. an artifactual reflection