Integrated geophysical investigation applied to the definition of buried and outcropping targets of archaeological relevance in very shallow water

Abstract

Passaro S. et al., Integrated geophysical investigation applied to the definition of buried and outcropping targets of
archaeological relevance in very shallow water. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2009).
The results of a marine survey aimed at detecting archaeological targets in coastal areas by means the integration of different geophysical methods (multibeam bathymetry, high-resolution seismic, geoelectric and magnetism) are presented. The case study is a shipwreck recognised off the shore of Agropoli town (Salerno, southern Italy) over a sandy sea-bottom at about 5 m of water depth.
Each geophysical method has its peculiarity and detection capability depending on a wide range of factors such as: geological setting, consistency and grain size of sea-bottom sediments, burial and nature (e.g. metallic/non metallic) of the targets, water depth, etc.
It is worth stressing that there is a high reduction of the ambiguities inherent in each method when a multiple approach strategy is
adopted. We believe that this type of investigation may contribute to establishing a quality standard for such a category of surveys
that can be adopted by local administrators and coastal managers wherever archaeological exploration is required.