干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Geophysical science offers a large range of methods that have been adapted for the detection of archaeological structures beneath the surface. Magnetometry is among others the most successful, and with respect to large survey areas, the most widely-used scientific toolkit that is used by archaeologists. New developments in instrument techniques and real-time GPS enlarged the role of magnetometer prospecting for archaeological science considerably and allow even the detailed prospecting and analysis of landscapes. An integral part of this method however should be the archaeological interpretation of the geophysical result. In this paper the rock magnetic and soil magnetic background will be discussed, which is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of survey results. The diversity of the magnetic anomalies is exemplified on the basis of selected survey results, and explains the role of magnetic prospecting in the field of archaeological science. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.