Data‐fused digital bathymetry and side‐scan sonar as a base for archaeological inventory of submerged landscapes in the Rideau Canal, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Colonel By Lake, located near Kingston, Ontario, was created in the early 19th century during the construction of the Rideau Canal waterway. Canal flooding inundated a large area of the Cataraqui River lowlands, submerging important pre-contact and colonial settlements. In order to gain a better understanding of the pre-canal environment and its archaeological setting, a systematic bathymetry and side-scan sonar survey was conducted over a 2-km 2 area of Colonel By Lake. A 2-D digital bathymetric model (DBM) of the lake bottom was constructed and overlain with side-scan mosaics to map the paleogeography of the river flood plain. The data-fused sonar images clearly identify the submerged pre-canal topography, including the former Cataraqui River channel, relict meanders, tree stump fields, and bedrock uplands defining the valley sides. By comparing the DBM with landscapes depicted in pre-canal period maps (ca. 1828), the locations of several potential archaeological targets were identified. The DBM provides a basis for mapping submerged cultural resources in the Rideau and for predicting the location of undiscovered archaeological sites. The results show that integration of single-beam bathymetric mapping with side-scan imagery is an effective strategy for mapping submerged terrestrial landscapes and archaeological inventory in shallow water settings.

Archaeological Applications of Low‐Cost Integrated Sidescan Sonar/Single‐Beam Echosounder Systems in Irish Inland Waterways

“…These recent projects supplement previous demonstrations using more conventional setups (e.g. Duck and McManus, ; Sonnenburg and Boyce, ).…”

“…Nevertheless, even though the aforementioned techniques are all suitable for archaeological prospection in both freshwater and saltwater, based on the published literature, their deployment seems more common in the marine environment with relatively fewer examples from inland waterways (e.g. Duck and McManus, ; Stickel and Garrison, ; Rönnby, ; Henderson, ; Lafferty et al ., ; Sonnenburg and Boyce, ; Plets et al ., ; Tóth, , ).…”

“…These are all well‐established techniques which are tried and tested in both commercial (Firth, ; Firth et al ., ) and research projects (Quinn et al ., , ; Quinn, ; Bates et al ., ). They have been variously used to locate and image shipwrecks (Papatheodorou et al ., ; Quinn, ; Hamel, ; Plets et al ., ), submerged structures (Sonnenburg and Boyce, ; Cassen et al ., ) and map exposed or buried landscapes (Gaffney et al ., ; Lübke et al ., ; Bates et al ., ; Westley et al ., ). Nevertheless, even though the aforementioned techniques are all suitable for archaeological prospection in both freshwater and saltwater, based on the published literature, their deployment seems more common in the marine environment with relatively fewer examples from inland waterways (e.g.…”

Magnetic detection of ship ballast deposits and anchorage sites in King Herod's Roman harbour, Caesarea Maritima, Israel

“…The method uses upward and downward continuation of the magnetic signal to place all measurements at a constant height above the seabed, eliminating depth-related changes in signal intensity. The bathymetry data were corrected for sea-surface variations (waves, tides) using the D-GPS elevation data and tie-line leveled and gridded to produce a digital bathymetric elevation model following the procedures outlined by Sonnenburg and Boyce (2008).…”

Quartz flakes in lakes: Microdebitage evidence for submerged Great Lakes prehistoric (Late Paleoindian–Early Archaic) tool-making sites

“…Recovery of individual artifacts in cores is rare (e.g., Stanley et al, 2008) and not a viable strategy for exploration of large areas. Multibeam and side-scan sonar mapping can assist in locating built structures (e.g., O'Shea and Meadows, 2009) and sites associated with drowned geomorphic features (relict shorelines, river valleys) (Quinn et al, 2008;Sonnenburg and Boyce, 2008;Fedje and Josenhans, 2000), but fi nding small sites with dimensions of a few tens or hundreds of square meters is diffi cult with these methods…”