The Whistling Elk
Subsurface Imaging Project
by Kenneth L. Kvamme
Benefits of Geophysical Survey
We believe this project clearly demonstrates some of the benefits of
archeogeophysical survey. The structure of a prehistoric settlement
is clearly revealed offering a detailed, and probably unprecedented,
look at the layout of an entire Initial Coalescent village. The form
of fortifications, the spacing of bastion loops, and the arrangement
of houses within are indicated. In some cases house form and even
interior features are revealed. Of particular importance is the
discovery of an inner village with its own fortification system that
may suggest a reoccupation and consolidation of the village after an
attack. The unusually large Big House was also revealed by the remote
sensing methods that were able to pinpoint features with sufficient
accuracy for Dennis Toom and the student excavators to place a trench exactly
between its wall and the central hearth!
We might borrow a slogan from advertising (somewhat altered):
"geophysics doesn’t cost, it pays!"
This project was supported by a technology transfer grant from the National
Center for Preservation Technology and Training, National Park Service.