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Magnetometry for Archaeology

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Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Magnetic prospecting

Definition

Magnetometry. Application of magnetometers to detect and trace archaeological features and structures that lie beneath the ground

Field magnetometers. Instrumentation adapted for magnetic prospection of near-surface structures in archaeology

Soil magnetism. Applying mineral magnetic analysis and methods of measuring rock magnetism to the characterization of the magnetic properties of soils

Introduction

Magnetic prospection was applied for the first time to archaeology in 1956 (Belshé, 1957; Aitken, 1958), and over the years since then, it has become one of the most important archaeological methods for the detection and mapping of buried remains at large archaeological sites (Aitken, 1974; Scollar et al., 1990; Clark, 1996; Neubauer et al., 1998–1999; Benech, 2005; David et al., 2008). Magnetic detection methods are extremely sensitive in the characterization and analysis of iron oxides, much more so than any other form of chemical analysis....

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig–Maximilians University of Munich, Theresienstraβe 4l, 80333, Munich, Germany

    Jörg W. E. Fassbinder

  2. Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege, Hofgraben 4, 80539, Munich, Germany

    Jörg W. E. Fassbinder

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  1. Jörg W. E. Fassbinder
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Correspondence to Jörg W. E. Fassbinder .

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  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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Fassbinder, J.W.E. (2017). Magnetometry for Archaeology. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_169

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