GEOPHYSICAL APPLICATIONS IN ARCHAEOLOGY:

A Workshop sponsored by the California Office of 
Historic Preservation

April 30-May 4, 2012

     In recent years, the trend toward increasingly focused research 
designs, the costs and time wasted on random sampling, and concerns over the 
unnecessary disturbance of primary archaeological resources have resulted in the 
increased use of a number of geophysical methods to investigate and 
interpret archaeological sites in many parts of the   world.   Such methods provide 
a focused cost and time effective means of collecting information for the 
archaeologist, satisfy Native American concerns over site disturbance, and 
serve as a valuable planning and protective tool for resource managers.   This 
five-day workshop will address three of the most useful geophysical 
methods---magnetic gradient survey, electrical resistance survey, and ground 
penetrating radar (GPR).   A day will be devoted to each method, both in practical 
data collection in the field and in theoretical lectures.   Participants 
will have ample time for hands-on experience with the equipment.   The last 1.5 
days will be spent in processing and interpreting the collected data.   
Each method is optimal for certain conditions and has it own limitations, so a 
mixed media strategy will be used to extract as much information from the 
site as possible. The workshop is an outgrowth of a similar program offered 
for decades by the National Park Service each year at various locations in the 
Midwest.   Dr. Lewis Somers and David Maki of GeoScan 
Research/ArchaeoPhysics, who are experienced in such surveys for archaeologists in many parts of 
the world, will teach this workshop at Mission San Antonio de Padua, an 
historic Spanish mission site in southern Monterey County.  Dr. Robert L. 
Hoover, who has conducted research on site for 30 years, will orient and introduce 
the class and assist in the interpretation.  This is not a course in 
archaeological excavation or artifact recovery. Participants will stay in 
comfortable rooms on site and be fed communally as part of the cost of the program. 
The workshop will be of interest to all archaeologists, Native American 
monitors, and agency managers, as well as others.   Space is limited.   Contact 
Dr. Robert L. Hoover, 1144 Buchon Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, (805) 
544-0176, <[log in to unmask]>, with checks made out to "Mission San Antonio 
de Padua" for $712.   Payment must be received before the beginning of the 
workshop and further information will be sent to your email address.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity for professional development that 
could enhance your future work!