Acquisition of Magnetic and Soil Magnetic Equipment for Ground-Testing and Interpreting Geophysical Surveys

获取用于地面测试和解释地球物理调查的磁性和土壤磁性设备

• 批准号: 0519749
• 负责人: Rinita Dalan
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: Minnesota State University Moorhead
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0519749&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; Magnetic; Soil; Equipment; Ground

Support from a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant will allow researchers at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) to develop innovative non-invasive approaches for studying our nation's cultural resources. Surface geophysical surveys provide a rapid, non-destructive means of mapping archaeological landscapes. Ground testing efforts to support archaeological interpretation of the geophysical data, however, have concentrated on traditional destructive approaches such as excavation. This grant will allow development of down-hole geophysical and laboratory soil magnetic techniques to drastically reduce the scope of invasive ground-testing operations, to improve the effectiveness of and interpretation of surface geophysical surveys, and to provide information on how archaeological sites and features formed and functioned. Instruments purchased will significantly expand an existing soil magnetic laboratory and suite of geophysical exploration equipment. The soil magnetic laboratory is the first of its kind in this country that is dedicated to archaeological application. Situated within the department of anthropology and earth science, one of only a few undergraduate departments in the U.S. that combines anthropology with the geosciences, these resources will allow the formal integration of the burgeoning fields of environmental magnetism and archaeological geophysics in efforts to better study cultural resources without destroying these irreplaceable remains. This equipment provides an opportunity to address a number of critical questions about the past. For example, a common need in cultural resource management is the identification of cemeteries and unmarked graves. A major concern in such studies, especially among Native American groups, is the development of non-invasive techniques. Near-surface geophysical techniques offer a non-destructive means of mapping these resources; however, these techniques often do not provide data sufficient to identify individual grave locations nor to ascertain whether mapped anomalies are indeed graves. Combining down-hole magnetic susceptibility and laboratory magnetic techniques provides a new avenue for improving the ability of near-surface geophysical surveys for identifying unmarked human burials and also for evaluating and preserving them. Other applications include studying ancient settlement patterns and identifying previous land surfaces and locations of human habitation that are deeply buried beneath the current surface. This approach will also be useful in documenting achievements in earth construction of our first Native American landscape architects and for exploring historic places.This combined geophysical approach will be incorporated into National Park Service (NPS) annual training courses attended by archaeologists from universities, Federal agencies, state agencies, Cultural Resource Management firms, Native American staff from environmental offices and cultural resource programs, and members of local archaeological societies. Equipment will be used within four interdisciplinary undergraduate courses and will make possible a number of improvements in curriculum, in opportunities for student growth and development, in research, and in service and outreach at MSUM and within a Tri-College consortium. It will be centered with a program committed to promoting active research as a means of involving its undergraduate students in meaningful research experiences and training. Nearly 200 students will be exposed to approaches developed with this equipment on a biennial basis.

来自国家科学基金会主要研究仪器赠款的支持将使明尼苏达州立大学穆尔黑德（MSUM）的研究人员能够开发创新的非侵入性方法来研究我们国家的文化资源。地表地球物理调查提供了一种快速、非破坏性的考古景观测绘手段。然而，支持对地球物理数据进行考古解释的地面测试工作集中在传统的破坏性方法上，如挖掘。这笔赠款将用于开发井下地球物理和实验室土壤磁性技术，以大幅缩小侵入性地面测试作业的范围，提高地表地球物理调查的有效性和解释能力，并提供有关考古遗址和特征如何形成和运作的信息。购买的仪器将大大扩展现有的土壤磁性实验室和一套地球物理勘探设备。土壤磁性实验室是该国第一个致力于考古应用的实验室。位于人类学和地球科学系内，美国仅有的几个将人类学与地球科学相结合的本科系之一，这些资源将允许环境磁学和考古地球物理学的新兴领域的正式整合，以更好地研究文化资源，而不会破坏这些不可替代的遗迹。该设备提供了一个机会，以解决有关过去的一些关键问题。例如，文化资源管理的一个共同需要是确定墓地和无名墓。在这类研究中，特别是在美洲原住民群体中，一个主要关注的问题是非侵入性技术的发展。近地表地球物理技术提供了对这些资源进行测绘的非破坏性手段;然而，这些技术往往不能提供足够的数据来确定个别坟墓的位置，也不能确定测绘的异常是否确实是坟墓。结合井下磁化率和实验室磁性技术提供了一个新的途径，以提高近地表地球物理调查的能力，以确定无标记的人类墓葬，并评估和保护他们。其他应用包括研究古代定居模式和确定以前的陆地表面和深埋在当前地表下的人类居住地点。这种方法也将有助于记录我们的第一位美国土著景观设计师在地球建设方面的成就，并用于探索历史遗迹。这种结合地球物理的方法将被纳入国家公园管理局（National Park Service）的年度培训课程，参加培训的有来自大学、联邦机构、州机构、文化资源管理公司的考古学家，来自环境办公室和文化资源项目的美国土著工作人员，和当地考古学会的成员。设备将在四个跨学科的本科课程中使用，并将有可能在课程，学生成长和发展的机会，在研究，并在MSUM和三学院联盟内的服务和推广方面进行一些改进。它将以一个致力于促进积极研究的项目为中心，作为使本科生参与有意义的研究经验和培训的一种手段。近200名学生将每两年接触一次利用这一设备开发的方法。