scholarly journals Dissecting and Interpreting a Three-Dimensional Ground-Penetrating Radar Dataset: An Example from Northern Australia

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Conyers ◽  
Mary-Jean Sutton ◽  
Emma St. Pierre
Keyword(s):  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
High Definition ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mound Construction ◽  
Human Burials ◽  
Ground Penetrating

A robust 3-D GPR dataset provides interpreters with a variety of methods for extracting important information at buried archaeological sites. An iterative approach that uses reflection profile analysis, amplitude slice-mapping, and often both in conjunction is often necessary as neither method by itself is sufficient. In northern Australia, two constructed mounds contain a number of cultural and geological horizons and features, which can be imaged with GPR. The reflection profiles display the modified ground surface prior to mound construction and some initial construction layers. On the pre-mound surface, amplitude maps of reflective layers that were built-up on the ground surface indicate that they were constructed in an intentional manner. Those surfaces were later covered by sand to produce mounds used for human burial. Human internments in the mound can only be seen in reflection profiles, but once discovered, the profiles can be re-sliced to produce high definition amplitude images of these remains. No one method of analysis can provide an overall interpretation of these complex internal mound features. When the methods are varied, depending on the results of one method, a detailed and varied analysis of certain aspects of the mounds’ internal features are visible, leading to the generation of a number of hypotheses about how this area of northern Australia was used in the past. The 3-D data from GPR shows that this area was an important location on the landscape in the past, and was modified by the construction of a monumental mound, which was then used for human burials, and more recently, the construction of what was likely a ritual enclosure.

scholarly journals Promoting a More Interactive Public Archaeology

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard K. Means
Keyword(s):  
Narrow Band ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Public Archaeology ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Digital Models ◽  
The Past ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
Virginia Commonwealth University ◽  
3D Digital Models

AbstractStewards of the tangible past are increasingly embracing technologies that enable digital preservation of rare and fragile finds. The Virtual Curation Laboratory (VCL) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) partners with museums, cultural heritage locations, and collections repositories to create three-dimensional (3D) digital models of artifacts from archaeological sites distributed across the globe. In the VCL, undergraduate VCU students bring a fresh perspective unburdened by archaeological orthodoxy as they use a laser scanner to record artifact details, edit the resulting digital models, and print plastic replicas that are painted to resemble the original items. The 3D digital models and printed replicas allow for new ways of visualizing the past, while preserving the actual artifacts themselves. These forms of archaeological visualization enable the broader public and not just a narrow band of researchers to dynamically and meaningfully interact with rare and fragile objects in ways that would otherwise not be possible, empowering their own contributions to interpreting, understanding, and reimagining the past. We must embrace co-creation through virtual artifact curation and recognize that, while we sacrifice some control over the stories that are told about the past, more stories will be told and shared as pieces of the past become more accessible.

Reimag(in)ing the Past

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Emmitt ◽  
Briar Sefton ◽  
Rebecca Phillipps ◽  
Willeke Wendrich ◽  
Simon Holdaway
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Dimensional Representation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Three Dimensional Representation ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Legacy Data ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACTThe excavation of the site of Kom W in the Fayum region of Egypt during the 1920s by Caton-Thompson and Gardner resulted in the loss of the original surface topography. Detailed section drawings recorded the surface and bottom of excavation, but it was previously difficult to interpret the published images. This article reports on the use of these images to create a three-dimensional representation of the site as it was before and after excavation in the 1920s. This visualization aids the interpretation of the formation processes that shaped Kom W in ways that were previously unachievable due to limitations in the original data. Archaeological sites are under increasing threat of destruction, especially in the Near East. This method could be applied to legacy data in order to reconstruct a site with the data available.

scholarly journals THE INVISIBLE MOATS OF THE MUN RIVER VALLEY, NE THAILAND: THE EXAMINATION OF WATER MANAGEMENT DEVICES AT MOUNDED SITES THROUGH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR)

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Duke ◽  
Nigel J Chang ◽  
Ian Moffat ◽  
Wayne Morris
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Non Destructive

<p>The Mun River valley is well known for its moat-bound mounded archaeological sites that are usually associated with Iron Age occupation (~500BC- AD500).  The investigation of these sites has provided a wealth of information on the changing social and environmental conditions during prehistory.  In recent years, research has identified a greater diversity of site morphologies in the region, many of which, importantly, do not appear to have moats surrounding them.  This paper seeks to investigate whether the apparently ‘non-moated’ mound site of Non Klang (Nong Hua Raet village) was actually moated in the past, and if such, now in-filled features can be investigated through non-destructive Ground Penetrating Radar methodology.  Additionally, while large external moats can be observed in the modern day topography at sites such as Ban Non Wat, excavation has demonstrated that further, invisible, water management features exist beneath the surface within the current mound boundary of the site.  These are probably Iron Age precursors to the later more extensive and still visible moats.  This paper seeks to answer several fundamental questions: What application can GPR have at mounded sites in Southeast Asia?  Do invisible moats exist?  How will this affect our understanding of the broader prehistoric landscape in the Upper Mun River Valley?  </p>

scholarly journals Effects of Construction Sequences and Volume Loss on Perpendicularly Crossing Tunnels

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanwei Zang ◽  
Penglu Gan ◽  
Jia-jia Yan ◽  
Shiming Liu ◽  
Zihai Yan
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Stress Transfer ◽  
Bending Moment ◽  
Small Strain ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
The Past ◽  
Three Dimensional Finite Element

The number of constructed tunnels has been gradually increasing for the past decades due to rapid development in urban areas. However, the soil-structure interaction problems arising from perpendicularly crossing tunnels attract relatively little research attention in the past. In this study, six three-dimensional finite element analyses were conducted to simulate tunnel excavation nearby a perpendicularly crossing existing tunnel, in an attempt to investigate the effects of construction sequences on cross-cutting tunnels. The hypoplastic constitutive model for sand is adopted in the numerical analysis to consider the soil small-strain stiffness. Computed results are presented and discussed in terms of ground surface settlement, displacement and deformation of the existing tunnel, and bending moment induced on the existing tunnel. The stress-transfer mechanism in soil nearby the existing tunnel due to tunnelling is also studied.

scholarly journals The invisible moats of the Mun River Valley, NE Thailand: The examination of water management devices at mounded sites through ground penetrating radar (GPR)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Duke ◽  
Nigel Chang ◽  
Ian Moffat ◽  
Wayne Morris
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Non Destructive

The Mun River valley is well known for its moat-bound mounded archaeological sites that are usually associated with Iron Age occupation (~500BC- AD500). The investigation of these sites has provided a wealth of information on the changing social and environmental conditions during late prehistory. In recent years, research has identified a greater diversity of site morphologies in the region, many of which, importantly, do not appear to have moats surrounding them. This paper seeks to investigate whether the apparently ‘non-moated’ mound site of Non Klang (Nong Hua Raet village) was actually moated in the past, and if such, now in-filled, features can be investigated using non-destructive Ground-penetrating radar. Additionally, while large external moats can be observed in the modern day topography at sites such as Ban Non Wat, excavation has demonstrated that further, invisible, water management features exist beneath the surface within the current mound boundary of the site. These are probably Iron Age precursors to the later more extensive and still visible moats. This paper seeks to answer several fundamental questions: What application can GPR have at mounded sites in Southeast Asia? Do invisible moats exist? How will this affect our understanding of the broader prehistoric landscape in the Upper Mun River Valley?

scholarly journals Data analysis of two-dimensional ground penetration radar profiles in three-dimensional space to study of underground objects

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duy Hoàng Đặng ◽  
Cường Văn Anh Lê ◽  
Trung Hoài Đặng ◽  
Vấn Thành Nguyễn
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Ground Penetration Radar ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Three Dimensional Space

The Ground Penetrating Radar can be effectively applied in ground surface exploration geophysics. Underground anomalies are shown in the ground penetratingradar slices in the form of signals having similarity in amplitude and phase. Typically, each point-scattering object can be seen as a form of hyperbola. During the Ground Penetrating Radar measurement in an urban environment, the data including information of high frequency electromagnetic waveforms were easily affected by civil noise (human activities, etc.). Shielded antennas could help to eliminate mostly the civil noise, but processing and analysis of the data were still difficult because of attenuation of electromagnetic waves and wave energy dispersion during their propagation in the ground environment. Due to the field geometry condition, 2D profiles were conducted. In order to analyze and interpret data effectively, we processed each 2D profile separately and located all the 2D profiles into the 3D dimensional space for enhancing the ability of illuminating potential 3D anomalies and confirming the reliability of the data interpretation. We studied the data measured at an industrial company at Nhon Trach district, Dong Nai province, Vietnam. Results from the data analysis of ground penetration radar reflected the object in three-dimensional space.

scholarly journals Determining the boundaries, structure and volume of buried shell matrix deposits using ground-penetrating radar: A case study from northern Australia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selene Kenady ◽  
Kelsey Lowe ◽  
Sean Ulm
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Shell Matrix ◽  
Three Dimensional Models ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Volume Estimates

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is used in this study to delineate the extent and internal structure of a large late Holocene buried shell matrix site at Thundiy, Bentinck Island, northern Australia. Shell matrix sites comprise a key component of the coastal archaeological record. The extensive nature of many shell matrix sites presents challenges for archaeological sampling regimes. While large-scale excavation is undesirable and impractical, limited test pits often represent only a tiny fraction of large shell deposits and are rarely considered representative. This study transforms GPR data into three-dimensional models which form the basis of deposit volume estimates. Volume estimates are evaluated against excavation data to test their accuracy. Results demonstrate that this novel methodology can generate accurate three-dimensional representations of buried shell matrices and highly accurate volume estimations with error margins of 3.5% ± 7%. It is recommended, though, that more inclusive error margins of 19.5% ± 17% are used to account for potential error, especially where results cannot be verified. This greater understanding of the extent and structural variability of deposits can be utilised to create robust sampling strategies for excavation. The methodology could also be further employed to enhance comparative regional studies and to add to conservation and management practices of buried shell matrix sites. If applied more widely this methodology will not only benefit our understanding of shell matrix deposits but also the wider archaeological record of coastal regions worldwide.

Mitochondrial Reconstructions Based on Serial Thick Sections and HVEM

1975 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 286-287
Author(s):  
Jerome J. Paulin
Keyword(s):  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Posterior Pole ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Stereo Imaging ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Anatomical Features ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cellular Components ◽  
Mitochondrial Reticulum

Within the past decade it has become apparent that HVEM offers the biologist a means to explore the three-dimensional structure of cells and/or organelles. Stereo-imaging of thick sections (e.g. 0.25-10 μm) not only reveals anatomical features of cellular components, but also reduces errors of interpretation associated with overlap of structures seen in thick sections. Concomitant with stereo-imaging techniques conventional serial Sectioning methods developed with thin sections have been adopted to serial thick sections (≥ 0.25 μm). Three-dimensional reconstructions of the chondriome of several species of trypanosomatid flagellates have been made from tracings of mitochondrial profiles on cellulose acetate sheets. The sheets are flooded with acetone, gluing them together, and the model sawed from the composite and redrawn.The extensive mitochondrial reticulum can be seen in consecutive thick sections of (0.25 μm thick) Crithidia fasciculata (Figs. 1-2). Profiles of the mitochondrion are distinguishable from the anterior apex of the cell (small arrow, Fig. 1) to the posterior pole (small arrow, Fig. 2).

A LOOK INTO THE EARTH: EVALUATING THE USE OF MAGNETIC SURVEY IN AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Magnavita ◽  
Norbert Schleifer
Keyword(s):  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Magnetic Survey ◽  
The Past ◽  
Common Technique ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Prehistoric Settlements ◽  
Present Case Study

In the last decades, geophysical methods such as magnetic survey have become a common technique for prospecting archaeological sites. At sub-Saharan archaeological sites, however, magnetic survey and correlated techniques never came into broad use and there are no signs for an immediate change of this situation. This paper examines the magnetic survey undertaken on the Nigerian site of Zilum, a settlement of the Gajiganna Culture (ca 1800-400 BC) located in the Chad Basin and dated to ca 600-400 BC. By means of the present case study, we demonstrate the significance of this particular type of investigation in yielding complementary data for understanding the character of prehistoric settlements. In conclusion, we point out that geophysical methods should play a more important role in modern archaeological field research, as they furnish a class of documentation not achievable by traditional survey and excavation methods, thus creating new perspectives for interpreting the past of African societies.

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