North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
Abstract/Summary:
Project Name: Cloudblower Site (LA89364), NM;
Reference: Abbott, J.T., R.B. Roxlau, and W.B. Butler. (1997). Kirtland Air Force Base: Geophysical Studies. TRC Mariah Associates Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico. Submitted to Kirtland Air Force Base and National Park Service, Denver, Colorado.
This report evaluates the applicability of several near-surface geophysical methods to intrasite archaeological prospection in New Mexico. Funded by the Legacy Resource Management Program, the investigations explored the effectiveness of resistivity, gradiometer, magnetometer, ground penetrating radar, and magnetic susceptibility techniques for verifying the presence and nature of architectural and other cultural features at Kirtland Air Force Base. The research involved the application of these techniques to five sites (LA 107488, LA 53672, LA 84429, LA 89364, and LA 108027). Four of the sites are Ancestral Puebloan period site with evidence of cobble alignments, rubble mounds, or pithouses. The fifth site is an Archaic period occupation. A subset of the geophysical anomalies generated from three sites was targeted for archaeological test excavations to relate the geophysical signatures to possible subsurface archaeological phenomena and to evaluate the accuracy of each method. The results of the investigation were mixed with no one technique having a clear edge over the others. Excavations targeting specific anomalies yielded a 82% success rate. Based on the results, the study examined the cost effectiveness and the strengths and weaknesses of each technique by assessing its usefulness for detecting different types of sites and features.