Samuël Delefortrie

Making a mountain out of a molehill? : a low-cost and time-efficient molehill survey of the lost medieval harbor site of Monnikerede, Belgium

ABSTRACT Grasslands pose a particular problem for archaeological survey involving artifact assessment, as no material is plowed up to the surface. Although finds in molehills are often the only source of information available on sites with such low visibility, an archaeology of molehills has thus far been largely disregarded. Yet, by applying a low-cost and time-efficient methodology, both the potential and the pitfalls of molehill archaeology come to the forefront. At the medieval harbor site of Monnikerede, it was possible to assess material culture and to locate certain structural elements. However, when artifact densities were compared with the underlying geophysical anomalies, a more complex relationship appeared at the level of individual features.

Potential for Reconstruction of the Subsurface Salinity Distribution Using the Frequency Domain Electromagnetic Method

We explore the usefulness of FDEM conductivity mapping for hydrogeological investigations by surveying farming land overlying a salt plume. Specifically the potential for reconstructing the salinity distribution of the subsurface is researched. To this end, calibration of the collected FDEM data and accuracy of the inverted responses are looked into. In addition, ancillary data were collected to validate the results.

Increasing Positional Accuracy of Surveys - Correcting for Spatial Offset and Time Lag

To evaluate the degree of loss of positional accuracy when a spatial offset is present between position and sensor data, we have simultaneously collected GNSS data (with RTK correction) using a GNSS receiver that was mounted on an ATV and two other receivers that were mounted on the front and end of an elongate sled. Comparing the predicted locations with the actual positions allowed to quantify and visualize the prediction error. As a result, the strengths and weaknesses of applied corrections can be evaluated, allowing to select an appropriate correction for a given survey implementation.

Multi-receiver EMI to Support Precision Agriculture within the Western Front Zone

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensing has proven effective to support site-specific soil management for precision agriculture. Within the Western World War (WW I) front zone, invasive practices are hampered by the presence of unexploded ammunition. Therefore, non-invasive EMI sensing has the potential to provide both information about the soil variability and the presence of buried metal objects. With this research, both could be separated deliberately.