Pre-Archaeological Investigation by Integrating Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Aeromagnetic Surveys and Soil Analyses
Wei Cao,
Hao Qing,
Xing Xu,
Chang Liu,
Silin Chen,
Yi Zhong,
Jiabo Liu,
Yuanjie Li,
Xiaodong Jiang,
Dalun Gao,
Zhaoxia Jiang,
Qingsong Liu
Affiliations
Wei Cao
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Hao Qing
GTK (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518102, China
Xing Xu
Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510760, China
Chang Liu
Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Guangzhou 510075, China
Silin Chen
Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Guangzhou 510075, China
Yi Zhong
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Jiabo Liu
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Yuanjie Li
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Xiaodong Jiang
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Dalun Gao
SUSTech Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Shenzhen 518055, China
Zhaoxia Jiang
Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, Ministry of Education, College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
Qingsong Liu
Centre for Marine Magnetism (CM2), Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Magnetic surveys have been widely used in archaeological field investigations. However, conventional survey methods are often restricted by complicated field conditions and ambiguities in data interpretation. In this study, a novel magnetic survey system was designed for pre-archaeological investigation (preliminary survey prior to the archaeological excavation) based on a modified quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and was successfully applied to an archaeological area with a complex landform in Huizhou, China. Results show that the target anomaly identified by UAV aeromagnetic survey corresponds well to the location of a potential archaeological site. Subsequent soil analyses further confirm the archaeological value of UAV aeromagnetic results and provide strong constraints on the interpretation of target anomalies. This study demonstrates that the newly proposed UAV aeromagnetic system can adapt to the various field conditions with the advantages of flexibility and efficiency, which has great potential for future archaeological investigations.
