With the support of a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation award, the University of Kentucky will acquire three geophysical survey instruments and create a computer laboratory to process geophysical data for archaeological research. The geophysical and computer equipment will form the nucleus of a new Archaeological Geophysics Laboratory housed in the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology at UK. Faculty, students, and research staff in the departments of Anthropology and Geography will be the primary users of this equipment; however, researchers in other UK departments and in surrounding Kentucky institutions can have access to this equipment for research purposes.
Geophysical survey refers to multiple techniques that measure variation in near-surface physical properties of the ground, such as mineral magnetics, electromagnetic conductivity, electrical resistance, and ground density. Buried features, like stone or brick foundations; variation in sedimentary structure and ground moisture, such as in archaeological deposits, trenches, mounds, and burial vaults; and other subsurface features have characteristic signatures that geophysical instruments can detect. Based on the measured variation in geophysical properties over a site, buried features and deposits can be accurately located and mapped without extensive excavation or other ground disturbing methods. Researchers can use the information acquired during a geophysical survey to design cost-effective excavation strategies, reveal large-scale community patterning, and identify culturally sensitive human burial sites.
Projects currently planned to use geophysical survey in field research include investigation of prehistoric shell midden sites in the Green River region of central Kentucky; coastal shell midden sites and an early Spanish Mission site on Sapelo Island, Georgia; community structure of late prehistoric Fort Ancient sites in the Bluegrass and Eastern Mountains of Kentucky; identification of fortifications, prison foundations, and cemetery areas at Camp Nelson Civil War Park, Kentucky; and research at the Olmec site of Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Mexico. Future projects include investigation of Late Prehistoric sites in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia; investigation of pueblo sites in Grand Canyon National Park; identification of buried shell midden sites in the Falls of the Ohio River region of Indiana and Kentucky; identification of buried saltpeter mining works at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky; and survey of West Virginia frontier forts.
The acquisition of three new geophysical instruments - a resistivity survey system, a magnetic survey system, and a ground penetrating radar unit - will complement the Museum's existing geophysical survey capabilities and allow UK to take a leading role in applying geophysical techniques to archaeological research, develop expertise in the application of these techniques, and provide training and opportunities for students to incorporate this technology into their research. Training of graduate and undergraduate students in these technologies will provide them with the skills necessary to successfully compete in the job market as these technologies become routine in fieldwork. Land managers, heritage professionals, and American Indian Tribal representatives increasingly prefer the application of these technologies because they are non-invasive, cost effective, and help to preserve sensitive cultural resources.
