Assessing the accuracy of 3D GPR results by comparing them to 3D laser scanner models: the case study of the archaeological site of Peluda Cave (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain)
Abstract
The Sierra de Atapuerca sites (Burgos, Spain) consist of various caves filled with sediments that bear outstanding archaeo-palaeoanthropological remains (Bermúdez de Castro et al., 1997; Carbonell et al., 2008; Ortega et al., 2014). Identifying the development of this karstic system is therefore crucial for understanding these sites formation processes as well as for excavation planning strategies. For this reason, the Sierra de Atapuerca is being the target of different geophysical methods. As for GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), the study of single profiles reported preliminary successful results (Bermejo et al., 2015; Bermejo et al., 2016), which encouraged to carry out an extended survey. This consisted in parallel GPR profiles (grids), which allow creating horizontal slices and, subsequently, 3D models of the subsurface. The aim of this work is to assess the accuracy of our GPR interpretations by comparing this 3D model with one generated by a laser scanner. To this end, we scanned Peluda Cave, which constitutes a perfect test site as it is found only two meters below the ground surface and has thoroughly been studied along the years. The results show the lateral limits of the cave precisely and portrait quite accurately the top of the cave. On the contrary, the velocity increase of the radar wave when entering the void space of the cave, results in an apparent pull-up of the floor. We can therefore conclude that comparing both 3D models has revealed itself to be a useful tool for assessing, at least, a part of the GPR results. However, more experiments in different environments and conditions are needed to go deeply into this subject. Keywords: Ground Penetrating Radar, Geophysics applied to archaeology, Sierra de Atapuerca sites. References: Bermejo L., et al. (2016). GPR data to constrain ERT interpretations in the archaeological karstic test site of Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). En: 6th Annual Meeting of the European Society for the study of Human Evolution. Book of Abstracts. Poster, p. 50. Bermejo L., et al. (2015). Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for identifying the archeological caves of Trinchera (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain). In: 43rd Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) Conference. Book of Abstracts. Poster, p. 471. Bermúdez de Castro J. M., et al. (1997). A hominid from the Lower Pleistocene of Atapuerca, Spain: possible ancestor to Neandertals and modern human. Science, 276, 1392-1395. Carbonell E., et al. (2008). The first hominin of Europe. Nature, 425, 465-470. Ortega, A. I., et al. (2014). Atapuerca Karst and its palaeoanthropological sites. In: Gutierrez, F., Gutierrez, M. (Eds.), Landscapes and Landforms of Spain, World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht, 101-110. Ortega A. I., et al. (2010). Applying electrical resistivity tomography to the identification of endokarstic geometries in the Pleistocene sites of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). Archaeological Prospection, 17, 233-245.
- Publication:
-
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018EGUGA..20.1293B