When you think about archaeological digs, you probably think of them as fairly low-tech operations. You might picture people with tools like shovels, hand trowels, and brushes—and you wouldn’t be wrong! Archaeologists have been using the same types of tools since the profession came into existence. However, some archaeologists—especially well-funded ones—also utilize certain types of technology to help them uncover items of historical significance.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a technology that archaeologists have started using in recent years. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, “Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a noninvasive geophysical method that uses the reflection of electromagnetic energy to produce images of subsurface interfaces and features.”
While GPR equipment is not necessarily difficult to operate, the results are not easy to interpret. Accurate interpretation of GPR results requires a good amount of training and experience. This is why most archaeologists won’t conduct GPR scanning on their own, but instead, bring in a GPR scanning service.
By bringing in a company or individual that specializes in GPR scanning services, it allows the archaeologists to be more effective what they do best—uncovering artifacts, structures, burial sites, and more. After archaeologists identify an area in which they wish to dig, GPR can be used to scan the site—before any digging commences—and provide archaeologists with information about the site. While GPR cannot tell an archaeologist exactly what is buried beneath the ground’s surface, it can identify anomalies that may indicate the presence of structures, objects, or fossils, and map out where they are located, including how far beneath the grounds surface they are buried.
As you can imagine, knowing where to dig can save archaeologists a ton of time and also help them decide which types of excavating tools they should use.
While ground penetrating radar is amazing technology, it isn’t always the best for the job. If the archaeological dig site is located in an area with heavy clay soil, soil that contains a lot of moisture, or extremely rocky soil, GPR can struggle to produce accurate results. When this is the case, a scanning company will need to bring in different tools, such as a magnetometer.
Enhanced Scanning is a GPR scanning service that has worked with archaeologists at their dig sites. According to underground scanning experts at their company, “Generally, when we get called to scan an archaeological site prior to a dig, we use both ground penetrating radar and a magnetometer. The reason we use both tools is because each has different strengths. For example, GPR can detect differences between soil and non-soil materials such as metal, PVC, and bone. In contrast, a magnetometer can locate the distinctive magnetic anomalies present in burnt materials, such as hearths.”
A thorough scan on an archaeological site may require multiple tools. However, if budget constraints only allow for the use of one tool, GPR is a great choice!
