GROUND PENETRATING RADAR INVESTIGATION OF TYUONYI PUEBLO IN BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEW MEXICO

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an efficient acquisition method that records reflection data of the Earth’s subsurface by transmitting and receiving high-frequency electromagnetic waves through different materials. Each student who attended the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) research program in 2017 established grid lines across a survey area with a transect spacing of 1 meter by dragging a GPR instrument around the Tyuonyi Pueblo archaeology site to examine near-subsurface characteristics. Two rectilinear grids were recorded along the northeast side of the Tyuonyi Pueblo using the Sensors and Software NOGGIN^® 250 Smart Tow, which operates at a frequency of 250 MHz and processed using the EKKO_Project V5 program. Five different processing methods such as migration, background subtraction, DeWow, automatic gain control (AGC), and elevation correction were used to better visualize distinctions between archaeological structures and the surrounding geologic matrix. Sufficient radar energy penetrated approximately 3.5 meters deep due to the physicochemical properties of the Tyuonyi Pueblo and surrounding stratigraphy. Excavation specialists of the Bandelier National Monument are interested in our GPR reflection interpretations because they are proposing to re-route the Main Loop Trail around the Tyuonyi Pueblo. Our findings will help them determine whether re-routing the Main Loop Trail is possible or if archaeological artifacts remain beneath the surface.