Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) attribute analysis for archaeological prospection

We evaluate the applicability and the effectiveness of the GPR attribute analysis for archaeological purposes and we test the attribute analysis on GPR data obtained in the river harbor area of the Aquileia Archaeological Park, NE Italy, where cultural heritage of the Roman imperial period is buried at different depths beneath a silty loam layer at an average depth not greater than 3–4 m. A multi-attribute approach is used to characterize the subsurface through several attribute categories, including instantaneous, section and volume attributes applied to quantities related not only to the reflection amplitude, but also to frequency and phase or other more complex parameters. The results allow the identification of different buried archaeological remains, from brick walls to isolated stone chunks also in a very complex environment characterized by several interconnected or superimposed archaeological remains.     

Integrated Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar Measurements Applied to Tomb Detection

The integrated use of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements, and in particular the joint analysis of 2D and 3D data, can represent a valid solution for target identification at complex archaeological sites. A good example, in this respect, is given by the case study of a Phoenician–Punic necropolis in the archaeological site of Nora, in southern Sardinia (Italy), where GPR and ERT measurements were collected before site excavation. In this specific case, the mix of soil and air in the buried chambers, as well as the orientation and the complex spatial distribution of these structures into the sandstone bedrock, generated a number of anomalies difficult to interpret only using 2D results. Only the integration of all GPR and ERT data in a 3D view, and the comparison with archaeological evidence after the excavation, allowed a solid interpretation of geophysical anomalies visible in the 2D sections. Overall, this case study demonstrates the efficiency of the combined use of GPR and ERT acquisitions and shows how, in general, only the joint analysis of 2D data and in a 3D view can help the interpretation of the real distribution of the buried archaeological remains at similar archaeological complex sites.     

An application of the synthetic emitter-array method to improve GPR signals

Methods that employ arrays of emitters are potentially useful in improving weak or ambiguous signals in ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting. As in the seismic case, the electromagnetic responses from the subsurface can be obtained by employing true composite sources or synthesized from single emitter responses that are acquired with variable offset, both possibilities leading to similar results. In this article, the synthetic emitter-array method is examined as a way of improving GPR signals. Modeling of transmitted wave-fronts is carried out to analyze how the targets can be illuminated so that the reflected signals are effectively reinforced. The method is applied to different targets. A methodology that simultaneously increases the signal to noise ratio and the lateral coherence of the events is examined in order to facilitate the interpretation of the GPR data. Finally, the synthetic emitter-array method is successfully applied in a case study to determine the width and depth of mud walls at the Palo Blanco archaeological site in Argentina.     

GPR prospecting in a prehispanic village,NW Argentina

Palo Blanco is an approximately 1600 year old archaeological site located in Fiambalá Valley, in the Andean region of Argentina. Pioneer archaeological studies published in the 70s reported the existence of five residential units in this site. Also a small cemetery which included three circular tombs was discovered near to these buildings. Since that time, a profuse sedimentation covered the zone, so nowadays there are no evidences of most of these buildings on surface. Because of an imprecise location of the structures, most of the buildings became in fact missed. Then, in this work we aimed to re-localize two of the missed buildings, a residential unit and a tomb, by applying ground penetrating radar (GPR) methodology. We used fast fixed offset GPR configurations to investigate two areas in which these buildings could be expected. We used experimental and synthetic patterns to aid the identification of the characteristic signals due to the archaeological targets. We applied migration to the data to better define and resolve unclear anomalous signals. The employed methodology revealed the location of both buildings. Also a number of new non-reported structures were predicted and confirmed.     

全极化探地雷达正演模拟

全极化探地雷达不但能获取当前探地雷达使用的共极化信息,而且能使用交叉极化信息,进而更好地分析目标属性.本文在时域有限差分法的基础上,构建了全极化探地雷达的正演模拟方法,通过水平正交双方向同时接收获取全极化信息.标准目标体金属板和角反射器的正演模拟与实验室物理模型测试一致的共极化和交叉极化响应信息,证实了该正演模拟方法的...     

High resolution 3D ERT to help GPR data interpretation for researching archaeological items in a geologically complex subsurface

Muro Leccese (Lecce) contains one the most important Messapian archaeological sites in southern Italy.The archaeological interest of the site arises from the discovery of the remains of Messapian walls, tombs, roads, etc. (4th–2nd centuries BC) in the neighbourhood. The archaeological remains were found at about 0.3 m depth.At present the site belongs to the municipality, which intends to build a new sewer network through it. The risk of destroying potentially interesting ancient archaeological structures during the works prompted an archaeological survey of the area. The relatively large dimensions of the area (almost 10,000 m²), together with time and cost constraints, made it necessary to use geophysical investigations as a faster means to ascertain the presence of archaeological items. Since the most important targets were expected to be located at a soil depth of about 0.3 m, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was carried out in an area located near the archaeological excavations. Unfortunately the geological complexity did not allow an easy interpretation of the GPR data.Therefore a 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) scan was conducted in order to resolve these interpretation problems.A three-way comparison of the results of the dense ERT measurements parallel to the x axis, the results of the measurements parallel to the y axis and the combined results was performed.Subsequently the synthetic model approach was used to provide a better characterization of the resistivity anomalies visible on the ERT field data.The 3D inversion results clearly illustrate the capability to resolve in view of quality 3D structures of archaeological interest. According to the presented data the inversion models along one direction (x or y) seems to be adequate in reconstructing the subsurface structures.Naturally field data produce good quality reconstructions of the archaeological features only if the x-line and y-line measurements are considered together. Despite the increased computational time required by the 3D acquisition and 3D inversion schemes, good quality results can be produced.     

Geophysical study of the Peinan Archaeological Site,Taiwan

The Peinan archaeological site is the most intact Neolithic village with slate coffin burial complexes in Taiwan. However, the area that potentially contains significant ancient remains is covered by dense vegetation. No reliable data show the distribution of the ancient village, and no geophysical investigation has been performed at this site. To evaluate various geophysical methods under the geological setting and surface condition of the site, the physical properties of the remains were measured and four geophysical methods involving magnetic, electromagnetic (EM), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) were tested along three parallel profiles. The results imply that the EM and magnetic methods are much cost-effective and suitable for investigating the entire area. GPR and ERT methods can provide high resolution subsurface image, which are much suitable for subsequently detail investigation.The EM and magnetic surveys were thus conducted over the entire Peinan Cultural Park to understand the distribution of the ancient building remains at the Peinan site. The results of this study were verified by subsequent excavations, which indicate that the EM survey was successful in delineating the majority of the ancient village because the basements of building are highly resistive in comparison to the background sediment. The results of this investigation suggest that the ancient village was broadly distributed over the eastern part of the Peinan Culture Park and extended to the southeast.     

机载探地雷达数值模拟及逆时偏移成像

机载探地雷达可以用于人类无法到达的危险地区、植被严重覆盖的地下目标体探测,然而由于机载探地雷达的特殊性,影响机载探地雷达探测效果的因素包括天线的极化方向、天线的飞行高度以及地表粗糙度等.为了研究这些影响因素与探测效果之间的关系,用三维时间域有限差分模拟电磁波的传播过程,以沙漠地区地下空洞掩体的机载探地雷达探测为实例,分别模拟了不同天线极化方向、天线高度及地表粗糙度情况下的机载探地雷达剖面,分析了各因素对机载探地雷达探测地下空洞目标体的影响.天线极化方向与目标体走向垂直更有利于地下目标体探测;天线距离地表越近,可以获得更高分辨率的雷达剖面;沙漠地表起伏越大,雷达剖面中的散射杂波能量越强,浅部地下目标体信号容易被掩盖.为了消除起伏地形造成的散射杂波,提出用逆时偏移成像技术对共炮集机载探地雷达数据进行偏移成像,成像结果优于基尔霍夫偏移成像结果.     

Geoprospecting Survey in the Archaeological Site of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aquinum</Emphasis> (Lazio,Central Italy)

In this paper, the results of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting survey performed in the Roman archaeological site of Aquinum are shown. The prospecting was performed in two distinct areas. The first one was close to the remains of the ancient thermal baths, where a public project intends to build a car park. The second area is close to an apsidal Roman building, and it was of interest to establish whether, and possibly up to what extent, the remains of this partially revealed structure continue, or maybe whether meaningful further structures are present.     

A new seismic attribute for ambiguity reduction in hydrocarbon prediction

Hydrocarbon prediction from seismic amplitude and amplitude‐versus‐offset is a daunting task. Amplitude interpretation is ambiguous due to the effects of lithology and pore fluid. In this paper, we propose a new attribute “J” based on a Gassmann–Biot fluid substitution to reduce ambiguity. Constrained by seismic and rock physics, the J attribute has good ability to detect hydrocarbons from seismic data. There are currently many attributes for hydrocarbon prediction. Among the existing attributes, far‐minus‐near times far and fluid factor are commonly used. In this paper, the effectiveness of these two existing attributes was compared with the new attribute. Numerical modelling was used to test the new attribute “J” and to compare “J” with the two existing attributes. The results showed that the J attribute can predict the existence of hydrocarbon in different porosity scenarios with less ambiguity than the other two attributes. Tests conducted with real seismic data demonstrated the effectiveness of the J attribute. The J attribute has performed well in scenarios in which the other two attributes gave inaccurate predictions. The proposed attribute “J” is fast and simple, and it could be used as a first step in hydrocarbon analysis for exploration.     

Two Brazilian archaeological sites investigated by GPR: Serrano and Morro Grande

The application of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) at two archaeological sites, Serrano and Morro Grande, situated in Araruama County, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, aids the study of a prehistoric indigenous culture, associated with the “Tupinambá” that inhabited the region during prehistoric times.The archaeological remains of the study area are mainly characterized by pottery artifacts for several uses, including funerary urns, which were buried within layers of sand and clay. Several profiles were acquired using a RAMAC system, with a 200 and 400 MHz frequency antennae. At the Serrano site, the profiles were acquired around some partially exposed pottery shards, due to sand exploitation. The resultant profiles provided a response model to guide the interpretation of new profiles acquired at other sites in the area, which present similar characteristics.The results showed the great importance of the dielectric permittivity contrast which exists between the targets and the host media, in order for possibly significant features to be identified in radar data.     

Delineating alluvial aquifer heterogeneity using resistivity and GPR data

Conceptual geological models based on geophysical data can elucidate aquifer architecture and heterogeneity at meter and smaller scales, which can lead to better predictions of preferential flow pathways. The macrodispersion experiment (MADE) site, with >2000 measurements of hydraulic conductivity obtained and three tracer tests conducted, serves as an ideal natural laboratory for examining relationships between subsurface flow characteristics and geophysical attributes in fluvial aquifers. The spatial variation of hydraulic conductivity measurements indicates a large degree of site heterogeneity. To evaluate the usefulness of geophysical methods for better delineating fluvial aquifer heterogeneities and distribution of preferential flow paths, a surface grid of two-dimensional ground penetrating radar (GPR) and direct current (DC) resistivity data were collected. A geological model was developed from these data that delineate four stratigraphic units with distinct electrical and radar properties including (from top to bottom) (1) a meandering fluvial system (MFS); (2) a braided fluvial system (BFS); (3) fine-grained sands; and (4) a clay-rich interval. A paleochannel, inferred by other authors to affect flow, was mapped in the MFS with both DC resistivity and GPR data. The channel is 2 to 4 m deep and, based on resistivity values, is predominantly filled with clay and silt. Comparing previously collected hydraulic conductivity measurements and tracer-plume migration patterns to the geological model indicates that flow primarily occurs in the BFS and that the channel mapped in the MFS has no influence on plume migration patterns.     

Investigating alluvial and tectonic features with ground-penetrating radar and analyzing diffractions patterns

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) experiments were conducted on a Quaternary sedimentary (made up of gravel, sand and loess) site to image the structures and tectonic features. Two sets of antennae, 50 and 100 MHz, have been tested in a water saturated alluvial deposits (mostly sand and gravel). The 100 MHz antennae provided adequate penetration depth and allowed better lateral continuity and resolution of the subsurface targets than the 50 MHz antennae. Results show that most of GPR data are contaminated by strong diffraction hyperbolae caused by above-ground objects near the survey line. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the diffractions through air and not to confuse them with the reflections from underground geologic features. Despite the air diffraction problem, the GPR data allow us to prospect subsurface sedimentary and tectonic structures. Water table, channels and meander bars are observed on GPR data. Most of these observations are correlated with borehole and trench data.     

Three-dimensional GPR study of a prehistoric site in Barbados, West Indies

Prior results of surface artifact collecting, test excavations, and auger sampling on an archaeological site in Barbados suggested that we experiment with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) as a method to target areas for future study. The site is associated with village occupations of Amerindians that are dated to between 2000 and 500 years ago. Archaeological features include burials, hearths, ceramic lined wells and postholes. Artifact middens contain pottery sherds, conch shells, and other marine resource debris. The site selected was located at the southern tip of Barbados and is situated on a deep stabilized surface behind a large active dune system. The soil layer consists of dry, clean quartz sand.We obtained limited ground truth at the site by hand auguring in areas of field-identified anomalies, and by auguring control holes away from anomalies. Anomalies were usually large diffractors such as conch shells and rocks. We used 3D visualisation software to perform standard processing enhancements and to assemble the parallel lines into three-dimensional volumes. The dimensions, distribution, and shapes of time-sliced amplitude anomalies were consistent with those of previously excavated burials, poles, and pit structures. In particular, we interpret the data as indicating the presence of a circular house structure with four center posts; this structure was previously unknown at this site. The work presented here builds upon and extends earlier excavation-based findings at this site, and will allow for better-focused excavations in the future.     

RAMAC／GPR探地雷达数据处理软件的自主开发与应用

分析研究了RAMAC／GPR探地雷达的数据结构,结合数据处理技术,利用Visual C＋＋编写了雷达数据处理软件,成图效果较好,为该类探地雷达数据的自主处理分析提供了高效率工具。     

探地雷达小波域三维波动方程偏移

阐述了矩阵多分辨分析理论中的标准形式与非标准形式,并以Hilbert算子为例,说明了算子多分辨表示的压缩效果,为小波域偏移算法奠定了理论基础.从三维雷达波动方程出发,利用爆炸反射原理和浮动坐标变换,推导出三维探地雷达波动方程差分格式,并通过方程分裂算法及小波多分辨算法,在小波域求解波场外推矩阵,进而得到探地雷达小波域三维波动方程偏移算法,在此基础上,开发了探地雷达小波域偏移处理程序,并把该程序应用于三个球体空洞的3-D正演结果及实际的雷达数据中,通过对比偏移处理前后的雷达资料,得知该三维偏移算法能使3-D正演剖面中的反射波归位、绕射波收敛,极大地提高了雷达剖面的分辨率,有利于探地雷达资料的地质解释.     

多次覆盖技术在探地雷达勘探中的应用

多次覆盖技术作为一种增强信号、压制干扰的方法,广泛用于地震勘探工作中,可以大大提高有用信号的信噪比。本文作者把多次覆盖技术引入探地雷达测量工作中,通过与剖面法作对比试验来论证多次覆盖技术在探地雷达勘探中应用的可行性及优缺点。作者根据试验资料总结探地雷达工作中雷达波传播规律、工作参数、资料处理方法,对丰富探地雷达勘探技术作了一次有益的尝试。     

地震属性参数在札达—泉水沟深地震测深资料预处理与震相识别中的应用

地震属性分析技术在地球物理勘探领域的广泛应用,启发研究人员将其应用于人工源宽角反射/折射深地震测深剖面的资料预处理和震相识别。采用札达-泉水沟深地震测深资料,提取振幅、信噪比、主频、瞬时带宽、瞬时高频能量等地震属性参数,分析不同参数的物理含义,挑选其中对界面变化敏感的参数,对深地震测深资料进行预处理,并利用P波和S波的联合扫描,提高震相识别的准确性。走时互换结果显示,采用地震属性参数可有效提高震相拾取的准确性,进而提高后续地壳速度结构反演结果的精度。     

Improvements in crosshole GPR full-waveform inversion and application on data measured at the Boise Hydrogeophysics Research Site

Crosshole ground penetrating radar (GPR) tomography has been widely used and has the potential to improve the obtained subsurface models due to its high spatial resolution compared to other methods. Recent advances in full-waveform inversion of crosshole GPR data show that higher resolution images can be obtained compared to conventional ray-based GPR inversion because it can exploit all information present in the observed data. Since the first application of full-waveform inversion on synthetic and experimental GPR data, the algorithm has been significantly improved by extending the scalar to a vectorial approach, and changing the stepped permittivity and conductivity update into a simultaneous update. Here, we introduce new normalized gradients that do not depend on the number of sources and receivers which enable a comparison of the gradients and step lengths for different crosshole survey layouts. An experimental data set acquired at the Boise Hydrogeophysics Research Site is inverted using different source–receiver setups and the obtained permittivity and conductivity images, remaining gradients and final misfits are compared for the different versions of the full-waveform inversion. Moreover, different versions of the full-waveform inversion are applied to obtain an overview of all improvements. Most improvements result in a reducing final misfit between the measured and synthetic data and a reducing remaining gradient at the final iteration. Regions with relatively high remaining gradient amplitudes indicate less reliable inversion results. Comparison of the final full-waveform inversion results with Neutron–Neutron porosity log data and capacitive resistivity log data show considerably higher spatial frequencies for the logging data compared to the full-waveform inversion results. To enable a better comparison, we estimated a simple wavenumber filter and the full-waveform inversion results show an improved fit with the logging data. This work shows the potential of full-waveform inversion as an advanced method that can provide high resolution images to improve hydrological models.     

高频电磁波在不同目标体上反射图像特征研究

针对高频电磁波技术在北京勘察设计行业应用的空白,本次研究利用探地雷达技术对北京地区典型工程目标体进行了研究.针对不同的地下目标体对高频电磁波所反映出的不同反射特性,总结出一些图像特征规律.通过建立对各类雷达探测图像进行地质解释的理论依据和基础,本次研究对层状介质、地下管道、CFG桩、碎石夯扩桩、水泥土桩和洞穴等目标体的雷达图像特征进行了较系统的研究和总结,为今后日常的检测工作奠定了很好的基础.