| Non-invasive archaeological prospecting practices, such as the use of geophysical techniques, are being increasingly used by archaeologists both because of their non-invasive nature and the ease at which large areas of a site can be rapidly investigated. While seismic refraction remains a seldom-used technique, the resulting profile and depth information can be a valuable addition when characterizing a site's physical properties and the shape and extent of archaeological and geologic anomalies. High-resolution seismic refraction data, along with data from various other geophysical including ground penetrating radar, magnetic and electromagnetic, have been collected at three distinct archaeological areas across the country: the Pajarito Plateau (New Mexico), San Marcos Pueblo (New Mexico), and the Topper site (South Carolina). Each of these geographically distinct locations poses a unique problem for implementing geophysical techniques, but the resulting near-surface geologic interpretations provide important geological and archaeological information for analyzing the archaeological record. |
