Three-dimensional image of seismic refraction tomography and electrical resistivity tomography survey in the castle of Occhiola (Sicily, Italy) [An article from: Journal of Archaeological Science]

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Archaeological Science, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
A geophysical survey was carried out at the ruins of Occhiola Castle (Sicily, Italy), a medieval village located at the north-western part of a hill named ''Terravecchia'' at 491m asl. In order to map the archaeological structures (such as walls and burrows), Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and seismic-refraction tomography methods were used. The resistivity variations are known to correlate quite well with the lithology, thus providing important information for identifying the buried archaeological remains. On the other hand, seismic velocity variations provide information about the geometrical features of the remains. The two geophysical methods are used in an enjoined way to better aid the interpretation and evaluate the significance and reliability of the results obtained with each single method. The electrical and seismic data are displayed in three dimensions by using the iso-resistivity and iso-velocity surfaces, respectively. This allows us to effectively define the location of the anomalies present in the single electrical and seismic sections. The results obtained in the survey highlight the presence of structures of regular shape, probably due to features of archaeological interest.