Interesting Features Identified in Surveys

Published: 11 July 2016

Adam Booth and Jonathan Marsh conduct electromagnetic surveys at Old Scatness.ZoomGeophysicists from the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment conducted a series of archaeological surveys in Shetland last week.

The team, including lecturer Dr Adam Booth and undergraduate students Jonathan Marsh and Anne Harding, were working at the sites of Old Scatness and at Sands of Sound, near Lerwick, where archaeological remains have been eroding out of the beach deposits.

The work updates surveys that were last performed 20 years ago, and new insight was added with the team’s ground penetrating radar (GPR) system. GPR, an “X-ray for the ground”, revealed interesting features at both sites, but further analysis back in Leeds will add confidence to the interpretation.

“It’s been a really great survey in Shetland,” said Dr Booth. “It’s particularly valuable for the students who can see a real-world application for the geophysics they learn in the lecture theatre. I hope that we can continue to contribute to the understanding of Shetland’s archaeology.”

Jonathan Marsh and Anne Harding use Ground Penetrating Radar.Zoom