North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
Abstract/Summary:
Project Name: Effigy Mounds, IA (5);
Reference: Watters, M.S. (1999). Geophysical Work Conducted with the Geometrics G858 Cesium Vapor Magnetometer at Effigy Mounds National Monument, IA. As part of the U.S. National Park Service Workshop: "Recent Advances in Archeological Prospection Techniques," May 10-14, 1999. Submitted to the Midwest Archeological Center, U.S. National Park Service, Lincoln, Nebraska.
The goals of the NPS workshop "Recent Advances in Archeological Prospection Techniques," held May 10-14, 1999 at the Effigy Mounds National Monument were to present and demonstrate different geophysical techniques for archaeological survey and to study the effigy mounds. Geophysical investigations are used for their non-invasive nature of collecting infomation about the earth's sub-surface. By employing a number of different techniques (resistance, magnetic, EM, GPR, seismic, etc.) on the same effigy mounds the various instructors were able to contribute a significant amount of information to the actual nature of the mound itself. The goal of employing this type of investigatory method is to gain a further understanding of the interior structure of effigy mounds. Infomation on the structure of a mound, the stratigraphy defined through different soil types, or the location of a burial, or cremation and possible looter activity can all be gleaned from the various data sets collected. This report covers the work that was conducted with the Geometrics G858 Cesium Vapor Magnetometer by Margaret S. Watters, with the assistance of John Weymouth and the participants enrolled in the workshop. Three effigy mounds were surveyed during this period: the Little Bear Mound, a Conical Mound, and a Linear Mound.