Geoarchaeology
Geotechnical Contractor DBM Digs Up 13,000+ Year Old Mammoth Tusk in Drilled Shaft Excavation
Specialty Geotechnical Contractor DBM was excavating a drilled shaft for the I-5 interchange in Ridgefield, Washington when they dug up something unusual at a depth of 30-ft. At first the WSDOT inspector thought it looked […]
Geoarchaeology
Drilling to Save Aswan Obelisk Quarry
The Ancient Egyptians are still marveled at today for some of their enduring hard-rock creations. Of course everyone thinks of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids, but perhaps just as impressive if not more impressive were the gigantic obelisks that were quarried and somehow transported into place. There is work underway to preserve a rare archaeological site, a granite quarry with a large unfinished obelisk near Aswan.
Archaeological evidence combined with some shallow seismic refraction surveys and bore holes confirm the finding of a canal believed to have been used to transport these obelisks to the Nile River during flooding. However, dewatering will be needed to excavate these canals to verify these claims. Another problem is the salt deposits that are slowly destroying the quarry. National Driller Magazine is the location of this interesting article. Link after the break. (Photo by Son of Groucho)
Geoarchaeology
Egyptian tombs discovered with infrared satelite imagery
Remote sensing with 1-m resolution infrared satellite imagery has allowed US Egyptologist Dr Sarah Parcak to discover a multitude of new archeological sites in Egypt. Her work was the subject of a BBC documentary where […]