North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics

Database Report:

Site Name: Mount Comfort Church; Site Number: _____; County: Washington; State: AR; Country: USA; Ownership: Mount Comfort Church; Landform: Creek terrace in Ozark Mountain foothills;

Date of Site: 1840s-1863; Period Type: Historic; Culture: Euro-american; Site Type: Historic Structure (Church); Site Size: 255 sq m;

Survey Type: Magnetic Gradiometry;

Instrument: Geoscan Research FM-36 fluxgate gradiometer; Sampling Interval: 0.5 x 0.125 m; Prospecting Depth: up to 1.5 m; Area Surveyed: 400 sq m; Date of Survey: Feb-2001; Land Cover Type: Mowed Grass; Ground Truthing: Yes;

Graphics/Imagery:

The basic shape of the structure can be seen in the magnetic data, probably due to the higher magnetic susceptibility of remnant bricks;

 

Survey Type: Electrical Resistivity/Resistance;

Instrument: Geoscan Research RM-15; Sampling Interval: 0.5 x 0.5 m; Prospecting Depth: 0.5 m; Area Surveyed: 1,200 sq m; Date of Survey: 2000-2001; Land Cover Type: Mowed Grass; Ground Truthing: Yes;

Graphics/Imagery:

Electrical resistivity survey area revealing the foundation of the historic church in the upper right area as well as a number of roads, tracks, and other features;

 A detailed examination of the church area shows its outline and interior support piers, all probably of more resistant brick;

Survey Type: Ground-Penetrating Radar;

Instrument: Geophysical Survey Systems SIR-2000 with 400 MHz antenna; Sampling Interval: 0.5 x 0.02 m; Range: 40 nS; Prospecting Depth: About 1.5 m; Area Surveyed: 255 sq m; Date of Survey: Mar-2001; Land Cover Type: Mowed Grass; Ground Truthing: Yes;

Graphics/Imagery:

Thirty GPR profiles, each 0.5 m apart, were subjected to time slicing to produce plan graphics;

 Close inspection reveals clear evidence of the church foundation in the 8-16 nS time slice, with evidence of perhaps a walkway seen in the 0-8 nS time slice;

Project Name: Mount Comfort Church, AR;

Reference: On-going research;

Survey by: Kenneth L. Kvamme, Department of Anthropology, Main 330, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA; Phone: 501-575-4130; Fax: 501-575-6595; email: kkvamme@uark.edu; web: www.uark.edu/depts/anthinfo/kvamme.html, Jami J. Lockhart, Arkansas Archeological Survey, 2475 N. Hatch Ave., Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA; Phone: 501-575-6551; email: jlockhar@comp.uark.edu; web: www.uark.edu/campus-resources/archinfo/, Students of "Near Surface Prospection" class, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Survey for: Arkansas Archeological Survey;

Report Location: NA; Report Type: NA;

Abstract/Summary