- Archaeological Prospection, EM methods, Gpr, ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY, 3D electrical resistivity tomography, Gravimetry, and 22 moreGeophysics, Remote Sensing, Applied Geophysics, Geology, Structural Geology, Engineering Geology, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Environmental Sustainability, Archaeology, Computer Vision, Medieval Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Archaeological Method & Theory, Roman Architecture, Archaeological Science, Roman military archaeology, Archaeological Fieldwork, Archaeological Geophysics, Digital Photogrammetry applied to Archaeology, Roman Archaeology, Sardinia (Archaeology), and Near surface Geophysicsedit
Six geothermal structures were identified on the Moesian Platform territory based on the analysis of the hydrogeological, geological and geophysical data. Four of them are developed on the Wallachian part of the Moesian Platform, known as... more
Six geothermal structures were identified on the Moesian Platform territory based on the analysis of the hydrogeological, geological and geophysical data. Four of them are developed on the Wallachian part of the Moesian Platform, known as the warmer segment. Three of these structures are overlapped with areas characterized by high value of the geothermal gradients and heat flow. The temperature values of 80oC and 120 oC were measured at depths of 2000-3000 m and 2500-3500 m, respectively. Different sources were proposed for the presence of these high values of temperature and heat flow. The layers with thermal waters were intercepted by the wells drilled for oil exploration. The water temperature values vary from 50 to 100oC. Overlapping the geothermal structures on the latest tectonic image proposed for the Moesian Platform, we notice a correlation between the high temperatures and systems of deep faults with east-west and north-south orientations. These two system of faults are developed at west of the Intramoesian Fault, known as a major crustal faults which affect the basement and sedimentary cover of the Moesian Platform.
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Summary The hypogeum of San Salvatore di Sinis (Sardinia, Italy) is one of the oldest signs of the presence of the first Christians in Sardinia (IV century a.C.). Its walls are finely decorated with drawings from different periods, today... more
Summary The hypogeum of San Salvatore di Sinis (Sardinia, Italy) is one of the oldest signs of the presence of the first Christians in Sardinia (IV century a.C.). Its walls are finely decorated with drawings from different periods, today strongly degraded. The present knowledge of the monument and of the site is not complete therefore, to check the presence of buried remains that could be related to the hypogeum, an extensive geophysical survey using ground penetrating radar (GPR), 3D ERT, seismic survey was carried out in the area around the church and inside it. The walls and floor of the hypogeum were also investigated. The results of the survey shown numerous buried structures in the surround of the hypogeum, furthermore some other voids are probably present near the hypogeum. The data collected were used to implement a tool that can be utilized both to explore the subsoil and to see the lost drawings on walls as a virtual archaeology. The system also allows the musealization and the use by disabled people.
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Research Interests: Archaeology and Geology
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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Historic and prehistoric sites are often a serious challenge for geophysical techniques, which could give enhanced and essential information to define identity and health of cultural heritage assets. Multispectral remote sensing... more
Historic and prehistoric sites are often a serious challenge for geophysical techniques, which could give enhanced and essential information to define identity and health of cultural heritage assets. Multispectral remote sensing techniques have been applied to ancient wall pictures of a hypogeum actually under a rural church in San Salvatore (Italy). Multispectral survey was jointly done with state of art surveying for historic architecture and was compared with a 40s’ photographic survey. This integration has been the way to fully explore and exploit the signs present in wall drawings evidences of hypogeum frequentations. Adopting multiresolution approach for the construction of scientific datasets and maintaining full dimensionality for their evaluation and interpretation, jointly with some synoptic images, allowed us to build a user friendly Decision Support System potentially used by authorities assigned to the conservation, restoration and management of ancient heritage goods. In this case study, the informative layering showed to be a very effective method to find cross-information present in different surveys data, which are essential for planning restoration activities but also for dissemination and fruition of cultural heritage sites. The application of applied geophysics techniques to cultural heritage and artistic targets proved to be a disciplinary strategic application field.
Research Interests: Geology and Proceedings
This work concerns the use of electrical resistivity tomography method for the recognition of archaeological features in shallow water marine environment. Methodological problems due to the presence of a high conductive layer that affects... more
This work concerns the use of electrical resistivity tomography method for the recognition of archaeological features in shallow water marine environment. Methodological problems due to the presence of a high conductive layer that affects signal to noise ratio are added to the resolution needed in the archaeological research. Goal of present work is to improve knowledge about the influence of water layer thickness and electrical conductivity on the signal to noise ratio and on the model constraint in the inversion process. Furthermore the choice of the appropriate position of the electrodes array with respect to the water layer as well as the right choice of the quadrupole to use has been analyzed. A methodological approach based on numerical simulation models, field data and real case studies has been followed. Field data and real case studies have been explored in the old town of Mothia, in the Pantaleo Island, Sicily and in the lagoon of Nora, in Sardinia. Results provide a detailed outline about the issues and the possible choices to optimize acquisition and the data processing and also demonstrate the great effectiveness of the method in detecting submerged archaeological features, the stratigraphy of the sea bed and other resistivity anomalies.
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ABSTRACT The present study deals with the goal to underline the potentialities of Ground Penetrating Radar in order to evidence the various kind of archaeological features potentially present in sites of many historical frequentations... more
ABSTRACT The present study deals with the goal to underline the potentialities of Ground Penetrating Radar in order to evidence the various kind of archaeological features potentially present in sites of many historical frequentations like urban centres and churchs in particular. In this paper a case study of San Pietro dei Pescatori church in Cagliari, Italy, is presented.
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Gravity prospecting in urban areas can make possible to define vulnerability maps of territory, which are very useful in prevision and prevention of buildings crash risk especially in old town. In this paper we show the results of two... more
Gravity prospecting in urban areas can make possible to define vulnerability maps of territory, which are very useful in prevision and prevention of buildings crash risk especially in old town. In this paper we show the results of two studies carried out to determine the shallow subsoil properties of two historical sites in Sardinia (Italy) by means the implementation of densities micro zoning map.
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Anomalous thermal infrared (TIR) emissions have widely been detected by satellite sensors before the major earthquakes. A recent processing technique for geostationary thermal data, developed for the case of the 2009 April 6, magnitude... more
Anomalous thermal infrared (TIR) emissions have widely been detected by satellite sensors before the major earthquakes. A recent processing technique for geostationary thermal data, developed for the case of the 2009 April 6, magnitude 6.3 L'Aquila earthquake, makes it possible to identify areas of enhanced TIR emissions around the epicentral region at a mean distance of less than 50 km but inside a radius of about 100 km. The index, called Night Thermal Gradient (NTG), derived from 4-D time-series data (two spatial and two temporal coordinates), identifies TIR anomalies by following the temperature trend during night, when the surface of the Earth is expected to cool. Leading up to the L'Aquila earthquake, an anomalous warming trend was observed. In this study, the anomalous NTG pattern is compared to the expected normal trend, taking into account the seismogenic faults, the overall tectonic setting, lithological spatial features, the orography and world stress map near the...
Research Interests: Geology, Geophysics, Remote Sensing, Tectonics, Satellite remote sensing, and 12 moreSeismology, Remote Sensing (Earth Sciences), Environmental Remote Sensing, Earthquake, Earthquakes, Land Surface Temperature, Geomatic Engineering, Geophysical, THERMAL INFRARED REMOTE SENSING DATA, Earthquake Precursor, Earthquake Precursors, and Thermal Infrared
Archaeological sites in rural areas are often characterized by structural remains that are made of mud or raw brick, and that produce a very small contrast in physical characteristics, as the surrounding materials of both anthropogenic... more
Archaeological sites in rural areas are often characterized by structural remains that are made of mud or raw brick, and that produce a very small contrast in physical characteristics, as the surrounding materials of both anthropogenic and natural origins have similar lithological and mineralogical properties. The main measurable differences are due to changes in compaction and porosity and, as a consequence, in permeability, which influence the hydrological behaviour of the subsurface materials. In this paper, we present some applications based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys that are routinely applied in archaeological prospection, carried out over two different weather conditions. Measurement of the changing resistivity, corresponding to different moisture conditions in the subsoil, allowed us to identify archaeological strata and structures surrounded by natural, undisturbed soil. A number of tests carried out on a physical model permitted a further definition of the acquisition parameters and methodologies to be used to secure the best results. The field surveys were carried out in the necropolis of “Pill’e Matta” (IV BC - V AD), located in the suburbs of the metropolitan area of Cagliari, in the southern part of Sardinia, and in a Punic and Roman site near the village of Terralba, located in the Campidano plane, in the western part of Sardinia. The results show that time-lapse prospecting can increase the resistivity contrast between archaeological structures and soil.
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One of the most important archaeological sites of the western Mediterranean is located in the Sinis peninsula (Sardinia, Italy). A necropolis with monumental sculptures from the early Iron Age characterizes the archaeological area of... more
One of the most important archaeological sites of the western Mediterranean is located in the Sinis peninsula (Sardinia, Italy). A necropolis with monumental sculptures from the early Iron Age characterizes the archaeological area of “Monte Prama”. Above the graves (8th/9th century BC) a large paved area was built, likely for funeral games, where statues, baetylus and nuraghe models were put. In 2013 thanks to a joint project between the Universities of Sassari and Cagliari and the Archaeological Superintendence of Cagliari and Oristano starts a new geophysical and archaeological research. The area was full investigated by 15 channel GPR and partially by other geophysical methods. Results show the widespread presence of anomalies some well aligned to the excavated necropolis and some other distributed along regular patterns. It is doubtless that the archaeological area is more extent than assumed after the previous archaeological survey. Geophysics is confirmed to be essential tools in the archaeological prospection, mainly when it is necessary investigate over large areas. Particularly multi-channel GPR open new scenarios thanks to its characteristics of high spatial resolution, precise positioning of anomalies and fast acquisition speed.
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The present study deals with the goal to underline the potentialities of Ground Penetrating Radar in order to evidence the various kind of archaeological features potentially present in sites of many historical frequentations like urban... more
The present study deals with the goal to underline the potentialities of Ground Penetrating Radar in order to evidence the various kind of archaeological features potentially present in sites of many historical frequentations like urban centres and churchs in particular. In this paper a case study of San Pietro dei Pescatori church in Cagliari, Italy, is presented.
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ABSTRACT This note describes an experimental study aimed at evaluate the vibration properties of a limestone rock vault, subjected to the forcing action produced by an intense vehicular traffic. The site of study occupies an area of about... more
ABSTRACT This note describes an experimental study aimed at evaluate the vibration properties of a limestone rock vault, subjected to the forcing action produced by an intense vehicular traffic. The site of study occupies an area of about 3,000 m2. The subsoil of the site is characterised by shallow underground cavities due to the past quarry activities. Ambient vibration measurements were done by means of seismometer stations placed on the ground surface. Microtremor stations were arranged above the cavity and in the surrounding area. An innovative coherent radar sensor was installed inside the underground cavity in order to measure time series of displacement related to different reflector points located on the internal surface of the vault. The experimental vibration properties were derived by means of frequency analyses of both seismic and interferometric data in order to compare the results achieved using the seismic transducers and the unconventional microwave sensor. Furthermore the preliminary results of numerical simulations were discussed.
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This paper deals with the resistivity continuous surveys on extensive area carried out at the Mont’e Prama archaeological site, in Sardinia (Italy). From 2013 to 2015, new research was performed using both non-destructive surveys and... more
This paper deals with the resistivity continuous surveys on extensive area carried out at the Mont’e Prama archaeological site, in Sardinia (Italy). From 2013 to 2015, new research was performed using both non-destructive surveys and traditional archaeological excavations. The measurements were done in order to find geophysical anomalies related to unseen buried archaeological remains and to define the spatial extension of the ancient necropolis. The electrical resistivity of soils was measured by means of the Automated Resistivity Profiling (ARP©) system. This multi-pole method provided high-resolution maps of electrical resistivity in the whole investigated area using a computer-assisted acquisition tool, towed by a small vehicle. Through this acquisition layout, a surface of 22,800 m2 was covered. The electrical resistivity data were derived in real time with centimetric horizontal precision through a differential GPS positioning system. Thanks to the simultaneous acquisition of ...
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Remote Sensing, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Sardinia (Archaeology), and 15 moreGround Penetrating Radar, Digital Elevation Models, Archaeological Prospection, Near surface Geophysics, Nuragic Archaeology, Applied Geophysics, ERT, ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY, APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY METHOD, Digital Elevation Model, ARP, Monte Prama, Automated Resistivity Profiling, wide area prospection, and wide area geophysics
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Archaeological sites in rural areas are often characterized by structural remains that are made of mud or raw brick, and that produce a very small contrast in physical characteristics, as the surrounding materials of both anthropogenic... more
Archaeological sites in rural areas are often characterized by structural remains that are made of mud or raw brick, and that produce a very small contrast in physical characteristics, as the surrounding materials of both anthropogenic and natural origins have similar lithological and mineralogical properties. The main measurable differences are due to changes in compaction and porosity and, as a consequence, in permeability, which influence the hydrological behaviour of the subsurface materials. In this paper, we present some applications based on Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys that are routinely applied in archaeological prospection, carried out over two different weather conditions. Measurement of the changing resistivity, corresponding to different moisture conditions in the subsoil, allowed us to identify archaeological strata and structures surrounded by natural, undisturbed soil. A number of tests carried out on a physical model permitted a further definition...
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In this paper, the authors present a recent integrated survey carried out on an archaeological urban site, generally free of buildings, except some temporary structures related to excavated areas where multi-chamber tombs were found. The... more
In this paper, the authors present a recent integrated survey carried out on an archaeological urban site, generally free of buildings, except some temporary structures related to excavated areas where multi-chamber tombs were found. The two methods used to investigate this site were thermal infrared and ground penetrating radar (GPR). The thermography was carried out with the sensor mounted under a helium balloon simultaneously with a photographic camera. In order to have a synthetic view of the surface thermal behavior, a simplified version of the existing night thermal gradient algorithm was applied. By this approach, we have a wide extension of thermal maps due to the balloon oscillation, because we are able to compute the maps despite collecting few acquisition samples. By the integration of GPR and the thermal imaging, we can evaluate the depth of the thermal influence of possible archaeological targets, such as buried Punic tombs or walls belonging to the succeeding medieval buildings, which have been subsequently destroyed. The thermal anomalies present correspondences to the radar time slices obtained from 30 to 50 cm. Furthermore, by superimposing historical aerial pictures on the GPR and thermal imaging data, we can identify these anomalies as the foundations of the destroyed buildings.
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Anomalous thermal infrared (TIR) emissions have widely been detected by satellite sensors before the major earthquakes. A recent processing technique for geostationary thermal data, developed for the case of the 2009 April 6, magnitude... more
Anomalous thermal infrared (TIR) emissions have widely been detected by satellite sensors before the major earthquakes. A recent processing technique for geostationary thermal data, developed for the case of the 2009 April 6, magnitude 6.3 L'Aquila earthquake, makes it possible to identify areas of enhanced TIR emissions around the epicentral region at a mean distance of less than 50 km but inside a radius of about 100 km. The index, called Night Thermal Gradient (NTG), derived from 4-D time-series data (two spatial and two temporal coordinates), identifies TIR anomalies by following the temperature trend during night, when the surface of the Earth is expected to cool. Leading up to the L'Aquila earthquake, an anomalous warming trend was observed. In this study, the anomalous NTG pattern is compared to the expected normal trend, taking into account the seismogenic faults, the overall tectonic setting, lithological spatial features, the orography and world stress map near the epicentral region. Main results are that a certain lithological selectivity can be recognized and that the known main stress field and seismogenic faults seem to be less important than certain tectonic lineaments, which are classified as non-seismogenic. The strong correlation between the topography and the TIR anomalies is in agreement with proposed physical mechanism for the generation of TIR anomalies. This relation is, in turn, present mainly in correspondence to two tectonic lineaments which in particular are thrusts: therefore, strong compressive states seem to be a positive condition for the generation of TIR anomalies. The temporary modification of these stress fields have triggered the Paganica Fault to its normal rupture mechanism. It is important to note that the distances, over which the TIR anomalies occurred, are an order of magnitude larger than the estimated length of the main fault rupture. Pixel-by-pixel time-series comparisons between the maximum TIR anomaly area and the epicentre of the main shock show that the increase in radiative emission occurred in the areas of maximum TIR anomalies and did not start by spreading outward from the epicentral region.