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Case Study

Mission San Antonio de Padua

Monterey County, California

San Antonio de Padua is a historic mission located in Monterey County, California. The investigation conducted by Archaeo-Physics consisted of electrical resistance, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and magnetic field gradient surveys over over portions of the archaeological remains of a large adobe communal housing structure that was originally built to provide housing for married Salinan neophytes.
The primary objective of this geophysical investigation was to provide baseline data using established geophysical methods for comparison with two relatively new geophysical survey methods, thermal imaging and diving wave seismic refraction tomography, being assesed by MSE Technology Applications, Inc. A secondary objective of the investigation was to provide geophysical imagery in support of ongoing archaeological investigations being conducted at the site by Dr. Robert Hoover, of California Polytechnic State University.

Click on data plots for detailed interpretations of each method:

Electrical Resistance Survey Mission San Antonio de Padua Resistance / resistivity

GPR Survey Mission San Antonio de Padua ground penetrating radar (GPR)

Magnetic Field Gradient Survey Mission San Antonio de Padua magnetic gradiometer

The investigation was successful in identifying a number of geophysical anomalies that appear to represent historic archaeological features. Each of the three methods applied during this investigation are sensitive to contrasts in different material properties, as might be expected, the resulting images vary somewhat in resolution and detail.
Electrical resistance and GPR survey methods were quite successful in mapping the main structure stone foundations, interior adobe room blocks, possible tiled room floors, and previously unknown adjacent structures to the grid north of the main structure. Additionally, the deeper GPR time slices have detected linear anomalies oriented about 45 degrees from the main structure that may represent earlier archaeological features. Magnetic field gradient survey successfully detected portions of the main structure, although signal clutter from numerous high amplitude thermoremanent fields prevents detailed interpretation of the magnetic images.

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