Application of bottom electrotomography for increasing the informativity of marine geophysical investigations of underwater archaeological sites

Abstract

The article presents the results of marine geophysical research of the ancient port area of Chersonesos located in the area of Karantinnaya Bay, which is now about 2–4 m below sea level. Set of methods along with archeological and hydroacoustic types of work includes bottom electrotomography, which has not been used until now in the practice of underwater archeology to map remains of structures buried by bottom sediments. Based on the results of side-scan sonar and profilograph surveys, the ancient shorelines of the bay, formed by marine transgression-regression cycles and shoreline development in different historical epochs, were identified and traced. Bottom electrical tomography provided geoelectric maps and sections reflecting the structure of marine sediments down to the 10-m depth, with geoelectric anomalies presumably associated with the remains of the submerged territory of the port of Chersonesos.

Keywords

• underwater archaeology
• hydroacoustics
• bottom electrotomography
• ancient port of chersonesos