This geophysical investigation was conducted at the Putnam County Development Authority (PCDA) site located southeast of Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia by D’Appolonia Environmental Services, Inc. (D’Appolonia) on behalf of Dr. Gloria Gozdzik, Horizon Research Consultants of Morgantown, West Virginia. The geophysical surveys were conducted in the Spring of 2003. 

The objective of the investigation was to apply geophysical technology to identify possible prehistoric cultural features in a 10-acre (4 hectare) site adjacent to the Kanawha River about one mile southeast of the town of Fraziers Bottom, West Virginia.  In addition to magnetometer and resistance surveys, we conducted resistivity surveys to provide electrical cross sections of selected features and to provide a stratigraphic section across the site.

In 2002, Ron, Clark, and Don conducted basic site mapping, shovel testing, and geophysical surveys at the Silvernale Site (21GD03) in Red Wing, Minnesota. The most significant conclusions of the subsurface examinations in 2002 were that intact archaeological deposits are abundant at the site and that they are substantially below the surfaces disturbed by cultivation. In 2003, the Minnesota State University at Mankato conducted their field archaeology class at Silvernale. They tested geophysical anomalies as well as other targets at the site.  Ron will direct further investigations by the Mankato archaeological field school in 2004.

For two weeks during the 2000 field season, the Don and Clark conducted geophysical work at Çatalhöyük.  The surveys were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of several different instruments at this specific site. Three instruments were used:  a cesium vapor magnetometer (which allows measurement of both total magnetic field and vertical gradient); ground-penetrating radar using antennas ranging from 50 mHz to 1 gHz; and a Syscal Kid resistivity meter that collects data used in 2 and 3 dimensional resistivity modeling.

Reconstruction of one of the barracks at this historic fort required that the original location be accurately determined.  Don conducted a resistance survey  that successfully mapped the location of the barracks.