Elizabeth,
We used metal detectors on quite a successful scale to narrow down the
location of subsurface features and artifact deposits at several 19th
century mining and homestead sites currently located in the fluctuation
zone of Lake Oroville in northern CA.

If you are interested, I can send you a copy of a recent Society of
California Archaeology presentation describing our methods.  In it, I
discuss several examples in which archaeologists found metal detection
survey methods to be more accurate in locating subsurface features than
with grid-based test units alone.  It's not an end all on the subject, but
it might get you started.

I also found the 1998 article in Historical Archaeology by Melissa Connor
and Douglas Scott, "Metal Detector Use in Archaeology: An Introduction",
to be a very helpful primer on how metal detectors work and how they can
be a useful tool to the archaeologist.

Regina George
([log in to unmask])
Anthropological Studies Center
Sonoma State University
Sunny California



> Matt,
>    I appreciate your thoughts! However, where I am working this is not
> really feasible for two reasons: 1) time/budget and more importantly 2)
> we are in Connecticut, where there are glacially deposited rocks
> EVERYWHERE! I do, though, have an eager and available person who could
> do a little bit of metal detecting work, not so much to define the
> whole structure, but to see if there are other concentrations of metal,
> like nails, other architectural elements, or other metal artifacts in
> and around a possible structure.
>
> Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!
> Elizabeth
>
>> Elizabeth,
>>
>> Metal detectors are generally ineffective for what you're interested in
>> (finding structural remains). You should actually be pursuing some sort
>> of
>> geophysics study. Maybe a combination of magnetometer and resistance.
>>
>> mas
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Elizabeth Hoag" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 2:49 PM
>> Subject: Question RE metal detectors
>>
>>
>>> Dear List members,
>>>   I am looking into the use of metal detectors on historic sites as a
>>> method to identify subsurface artifacts; in this%