A ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey is often the only geophysical technique compatible with cluttered urban conditions that prevent other techniques.
​
It has capacity to work through a wide variety of surface materials. From soft landscaping, through to hard surfaces such as tarmac and concrete, both inside and outside buildings. This makes it an ideal technique for many archaeological applications. Ground Penetrating Radar is particularly adept at not only mapping buried structures but approximating their depth. This provides an all-important extra level of detail.
GPR works by pulsing electromagnetic waves into the ground and measuring the strength and time delay of the returning signal. This allows it to approximate the depth of the buried horizon.
​
Typical locations range from gardens, courtyards, car parks and derelict land. As well as floors of churches, basements and graveyards. Structures can also be investigated typically using higher frequency antennas.
Multiple antennas to suit your projects including:
-
High frequency – from 900MHz to 2GHz antennas, ideal for use on walls to locate voids or chimney flues.
-
Dual Frequency - combining a 300MHz and 800MHz antennas, ensuring you locate the smaller shallower features and large deeper features in one pass.
-
High Density - 8 channels of data at 8cm spacing with 12x better resolution than a standard survey
Features commonly identified by Archaeological GPR surveys:
​
-
Air Voids – vaults, tombs, tunnels, chambers, cellars
-
Structures – Foundations, rubble fill, buried paths
-
Ditches – enclosure ditches, moats, trenches
-
Discrete features – Hearths, pits, garden features
.jpg)
Above : High density radar survey bein carried at our Croome Court.
Below an example of High-Density Ground penetrating radar (GPR) was carried out in Rutland, following the discovery of a Roman Mosaic. The survey mapped a complex of structures: the main villa building; subsidiary villa buildings; formal gardens; possible mausolea; a probable bathhouse; farm buildings and water wells. In addition, we believe there is a smaller building which could be a chapel and two parallel rows of large pits which may indicate an aisled hall.
Above : Timeslice plot (plan view of GPR data) showing Roman villa complex, consisting of seven individual buildings.
Survey Methodologies
Detailed Magnetic Survey
Soil Self-Potential
Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT)
Soil Thermal-Resistivity Testing
Electromagnetic Ground Conductivity
Electromagnetic Location (EML)
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
