The Effect of Remanence in Magnetometer Prospection

Hahn, Sandra; Fassbinder, Jörg W. E.

doi:10.4000/archeosciences.8580

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The diurnal variations of the Earth's magnetic field, whose range may be identical to the magnetic anomalies caused by buried anthropologic remains, are removed in the post‐processing (for details, see Hahn et al, 2022). As a complementary method, magnetic susceptibility measurements with the portable kappameter SM 30 (ZH instruments) were performed in situ soil samples and on excavated rocks of the burials and used as a reference for the interpretation of the magnetograms (Bondar et al, 2022; Hahn & Fassbinder, 2021; Hahn et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoarchaeological investigations in Artanish Peninsula, Armenia: Testing a new geochemical prospecting method for archaeology

Hovhannisyan,

Bobokhyan,

Kunze

et al. 2023

Archaeological Prospection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within the framework of an Armenian–German research project, taking place between 2019 and 2021 on the Artanish Peninsula at Lake Sevan (Armenia), in addition to numerous (geo‐) archaeological investigations, methods of geochemical prospection have been carried out. The ancient burial grounds of Artanish 23 and Artanish 29 have served as model sites to successfully test the well‐known method of geochemical prospection and evaluation of metal deposits in geology (mineral sector). As a result, a new experimental archaeo‐geochemical prospecting and evaluation method has been developed, which has been adapted for the exploration of archaeological monuments. It is planned to use this experimental method (which we consider new and important in archaeogeochemical investigation, but not a conclusive and comprehensive work per se), which has already proven its work capacity, in archaeological research, in the prospective areas of Armenia and other countries. In addition to these investigations, research on the transformations in the landscape of the ancient tombs related to Lake Sevan fluctuations has also been carried out. The anthropogenic impact of humans on the environment (geochemical halos formed in the soil on the surface of the tombs) has been studied, as well as the problem of the impact of geological environment on human life activities, that is, the relocation of the burial grounds to more elevated areas due to the rise in the lake level. Based on the results of geochemical sampling and high‐resolution magnetometer surveys, excavations have been performed at the site. Here, we present the results of an experimental study exploring the potential of combined magnetometer prospection and chemical soil analyses to locate and characterize the burial ground of Artanish on Lake Sevan, Armenia. The results have demonstrated the capability of these analyses to detect the sites, outline hotspots and interpret the features identified in the magnetometer results.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geoarchaeological investigations in Artanish Peninsula, Armenia: Testing a new geochemical prospecting method for archaeology

Hovhannisyan,

Bobokhyan,

Kunze

et al. 2023

Archaeological Prospection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Magnetometer prospection relies on the difference in susceptibility and remanent magnetization between soil and archaeological features (Fassbinder, 2015). The shape of the detected anomalies depend on the shape of the feature, its orientation of the total magnetization (Hahn & Fassbinder, 2021) and the direction of the ambient Earth's magnetic field (Ostner et al, 2019). Instruments commonly used for magnetometer surveys include total field and vertical gradiometers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting Fara: Comparison of merged prospection results of diverse magnetometers with the earliest excavations in ancient Šuruppak from 120 years ago

Hahn

Fassbinder

Otto³

et al. 2022

Archaeological Prospection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ancient Šuruppak, today Fara, was one of the major Sumerian cities in Mesopotamia. It was situated along one of the ancient watercourses of the Euphrates River. Findings date it back to the Jemdet Nasr period around 3000 bc with a continuous occupation until the end of the Ur III period around 2000 bc. Fara was first explored and excavated by the Deutsche Orient‐Gesellschaft in the years 1902 and 1903 under the direction of Walter Andrae. Multiple excavation trenches with lengths up to 900 m transect the 1 km2 wide mound and are still visible today which enables us to georeference the excavation maps. Today, the 2.2 km2 wide archaeological area is dry and without any vegetation. Thousands of deep looting pits are covering the majority of mound which not only destroyed its upper metres but also challenge the application of geophysical prospection methods and their interpretation. The magnetometer prospecting of selected areas on and around the mound was carried out with three devices, two total field magnetometers and one gradiometer. The individual survey areas were combined in post‐processing by applying a high‐pass filter on the total field data sets and multiplying the vertical gradiometer data sets by a factor of two. This approach provides visually uniform magnetograms, despite being obtained by different devices, which simplifies subsequent visual interpretation. These magnetograms enable us to review, and to extend the results of the old excavations. The comparison show a good correlation in accuracy to the old drawings and positive identification of the already excavated features with magnetometry. Highlights of the survey are the discovery of the city wall confirming its existence, the layout of a unique building complex in the centre of the mound, likely a temple, traces of canals inside the city and an evaluation of magnetometer prospection over a looted area.

show abstract

The Effect of Remanence in Magnetometer Prospection

Abstract: – Comparison of synthetic magnetograms of dipoles with an illustrative case study.– Remanence explains different anomaly patterns of magnetic dipoles.– The remanence, therefore the total magnetisation, can point in any direction if not acquired in-situ.

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

Geoarchaeological investigations in Artanish Peninsula, Armenia: Testing a new geochemical prospecting method for archaeology

Geoarchaeological investigations in Artanish Peninsula, Armenia: Testing a new geochemical prospecting method for archaeology

Revisiting Fara: Comparison of merged prospection results of diverse magnetometers with the earliest excavations in ancient Šuruppak from 120 years ago

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About