Investigating lake sediments and peat deposits with geophysical methods - A case study from a kettle hole at the Late Palaeolithic site of Tyrsted, Denmark

Corradini, Erica; Eriksen, Berit Valentin; Mortensen, Morten Fischer; Nielsen, Martin Krog; Thorwart, Martin; Krüger, Sascha; Wilken, Dennis; Pickartz, Natalie; Panning, Diana; Rabbel, Wolfgang

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.08.008

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The shallower low velocity values are in strong contrast to the lowermost and confirm the presence of a sediment volume at the surface, which is mechanically significantly weaker than its underlying. The observed velocity values <80 m/s indicate soft sediment such as fine-grained lake fills or swampy organic material [23]. It can be interpreted as the sediment sequence of the former lake consisting of peat and fine-grained organic sediments like gyttja and the Lateglacial fine minerogenic sediments.…”

Section: Shear Wave Seismicsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Additionally, inter-drilling point sections have to be interpolated, resulting in an unknown uncertainty about small-scale changes in the stratigraphy. This disadvantage can be improved by combining drilling with non-invasive geophysical methods, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and S-wave seismics, which allow a laterally continuous mapping of the lithological change [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The application of seismics for geoarchaeological research is not widespread but has lately been intensified due to exemplary results [23,[42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. SH-wave seismics are directly sensitive to the rigidity of soil layers and are capable of resolving stratigraphic interfaces at much larger depths than GPR [42,49].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SH-wave seismics are directly sensitive to the rigidity of soil layers and are capable of resolving stratigraphic interfaces at much larger depths than GPR [42,49]. SH-wave sounding can identify and differentiate soft soils such as fine-grained lake sediments or swampy organic deposits [23], which are characterized by slow seismic velocities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding Wetlands Stratigraphy: Geophysics and Soil Parameters for Investigating Ancient Basin Development at Lake Duvensee

et al. 2020

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We present a case study of a bog showing how an integrated approach of multi-method geophysical sounding and local soil sampling can be used to identify, differentiate, and map organic sediments. Our study is based on ground-penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and shear-wave seismic (SH seismic) profiling applied to sediments of the former Lake Duvensee (northern Germany), nowadays a bog. This is a well-known locality for remains from the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers’ occupation that has been attracting archaeological and geoarchaeological research for100 years. The bog is embedded in low conductive glacial sand and is characterized by layers of different gyttja sediments (detritus and calcareous). The present study was conducted in order to identify the bog morphology and the thickness of the peat body and lake sediments, in order to understand the basin evolution. To validate the geophysical results, derived from surface measurements, drilling, soil analyses as well as borehole guided wave analysis of electromagnetic waves and Direct-Push (DP-EC) have been carried out and used for comparison. It turned out that each method can distinguish between sediments that differ in grain size, particularly between peat, lake sediments (gyttjas and mud) and basal glacial sand deposits. GPR is even able to separate between strongly and weakly decomposed peat layers, which is also clear considering resistivity variations in the ERT computation. From the association between geophysical properties and sediment analysis (e.g., water content and organic matter) different gyttjas were distinguished (coarse and fine) and seismic velocity was correlated to bulk density. Moreover, GPR and SH-wave seismics present different resolutions, confirming that the latter allows measurements, which are more focused on determining the extension of basal sand deposits, the depth of which is difficult to reach with GPR. Representative values of electrical resistivity, dielectric permittivity, and shear wave velocity have been determined for each sediment type and are therefore available to complete the investigation of wetland environments. Fine grained lake sediments were difficult to differentiate by the applied methods. This could be a result of high ionic concentration within the permanent groundwater body, partly masking the sediment properties.

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Section: Shear Wave Seismicsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding Wetlands Stratigraphy: Geophysics and Soil Parameters for Investigating Ancient Basin Development at Lake Duvensee

et al. 2020

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“…Typically, this involves the GPR technique as Considering that the geophysical response of complex geological bodies exhibits different physical properties due to the fact that such horizons are composed of a combination of layers with contrasting properties and are caused by a host of geological, geotechnical, and climatic factors, a multidisciplinary approach is often recommended to gather an in-depth understanding of the features. Typically, this involves the GPR technique as the primary method to determine the velocity and geometrical attributes of the subsur-face, while electrical resistivity tomography and seismic reflection and refraction often work as complementary methods [302][303][304][305][306][307][308][309], due to their limited resolutions and mediocre stratum-detection performance, in particular for the shallow subsurface.…”

Section: Gpr Applications In Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

From Its Core to the Niche: Insights from GPR Applications

2022

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Thanks to its non-destructive, high-resolution imaging possibilities and its sensitivity to both conductive and dielectric subsurface structures, Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) has become a widely recognized near-surface geophysical tool, routinely adopted in a wide variety of disciplines. Since its first development almost 100 years ago, the domain in which the methodology has been successfully deployed has significantly expanded from ice sounding and environmental studies to precision agriculture and infrastructure monitoring. While such expansion has been clearly supported by the evolution of technology and electronics, the operating principles have always secured GPR a predominant position among alternative inspection approaches. The aim of this contribution is to provide a large-scale survey of the current areas where GPR has emerged as a valuable prospection methodology, highlighting the reasons for such prominence and, at the same time, to suggest where and how it could be enhanced even more.

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A Review on the Development and Current Role of Ground-Based Geophysical Methods for Archaeological Prospection in Scandinavia

Stamnes,

Cuenca-García,

Gustavsen

et al. 2024

One World Archaeology

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This chapter provides an extensive overview of the use of geophysics in archaeological research and cultural heritage management in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. It discusses the current status, role and acceptance of geophysical methods in each country, and outlines the state-of-the-art based on a synthesis of existing knowledge and experience. The authors consider the past, present and future of archaeo-geophysics in the individual regions, taking into account the academic, curatorial and commercial aspects of their use. This, in turn, serves as the basis for a discussion of the reasons for the varying degrees of acceptance and integration of the methods in each country, and aid the distribution of knowledge and experience gained across Scandinavia and beyond. The practical experience, application and general acceptance are not similar in the different Scandinavian countries. There is a general lack of integrating geophysical (and by extension non-intrusive methods) within the archaeological practice and guidelines. The case studies presented here show a range of archaeological applications of geophysics in Scandinavia, demonstrating how geophysical methods should by no means be considered “new” or “untested”. While there is a need for targeted research, there has also been a challenge in disseminating the already generated knowledge and experiences to other actors within the archaeological community. Some of this can be explained by a lack of trained personnel, domestic competence and archaeological institutions undertaking research into the applicability of geophysical methods, and data-sharing and making reports accessible.

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Investigating lake sediments and peat deposits with geophysical methods - A case study from a kettle hole at the Late Palaeolithic site of Tyrsted, Denmark

Cited by 9 publications

References 33 publications

Understanding Wetlands Stratigraphy: Geophysics and Soil Parameters for Investigating Ancient Basin Development at Lake Duvensee

Understanding Wetlands Stratigraphy: Geophysics and Soil Parameters for Investigating Ancient Basin Development at Lake Duvensee

From Its Core to the Niche: Insights from GPR Applications

A Review on the Development and Current Role of Ground-Based Geophysical Methods for Archaeological Prospection in Scandinavia

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