Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2002, Page 12

Timothy J. Horsley & Stephen J. Dockrill
A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE USE OF
ROUTINE GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES FOR THE
LOCATION, CHARACTERISATION AND INTERPRE-
TATION OF BURIED ARCHAEOLOGYIN ICELAND
Geophysical survey techniques are well established to provide information about archaeo-
logical sites in many parts of the world, over a variety of landscapes and geoiogy. However,
one area where the application of systematic prospection has been neglected is Iceland,
where a particular set of geomorphological and archaeological problems are present. This
paper presents the results of the first systematic and integrated application of geophysical
surveys in Iceland. High-resolution magnetometer and earth resistance surveys have been
undertaken at eight archaeological sites, to obtain geophysical results for a range of features
and geological conditions.
The results of these geophysical surveys have been integrated with other sources of archae-
ological evidence to allow a proper assessment of their success for not only locating buried
remains, but also for their characterisation and interpretation.
Despite the potential limitations of igneous thermoremanent effects, tephra deposits and
periglacial phenomena, the project has successfully demonstrated the ability of these rou-
tine techniques for archaeological prospection.
From this evaluation it is possible to provide strategies for the future use of such geophys-
ical techniques as part of an integrated study of archaeological remains in Iceland, and to
pinpoint areas where further research is necessary.
Timothy J. Horsley and Stephen J. Dockrill, Department of
Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, UK
Keywords: church;
Introduction
The routine application of archaeological
geophysical survey techniques is well
established as a means of locating, map-
ping and aiding the interpretation of
archaeological sites in many areas of the
world, over a variety of landscapes and
geology (David, 1995; Boucher, 1996).
However, one area where such prospec-
tion has been neglected to date is Iceland,
earth resistance; evaluation; farm; geomorphology;
gradiometer; igneous; magnetometer; medieval
probably as a result of a number of con-
tributing factors, including the type and
character of both the archaeology and
geology, in addition to the inhospitable
nature of many parts of the country.
This paper describes a preliminary
assessment of the integrated use of mag-
netometer and earth resistance surveys
undertaken in Iceland during the summer
of 1999, as part of a wider study of the
Archaeologia Islandica 2 (2002) 10-33