Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is the term applied to any method designed to reveal or examine, from a distance, features on or beneath the ground surface. Aerial photography is a form of remote sensing, In 1999, two other sophisticated remote sensing techniques were applied to a portion of Huff Village. The methods are magnetic gradiometry and electrical resistance surveys. Shown to the right, the gridded magnetic survey area is superimposed on the aerial photograph of the village. The survey block covered part of the central plaza, a broad residential area with many houses, part of the fortification system, and a small area outside the fortification ditch. , Map B and C above illustrate results of a magnetic gradiometer survey. The black spots show where the earth's magnetic field is stronger than normal. Most are likely storage pits filled with trash or hearths where the fired soil was magnetically altered by heat. , Archaeologists learned significant new information from this magnetic survey. For instance, the village plaza appears as a zone where storage pits or hearths are rare, confirming that this part of the village was set aside for special use. The magnetic data also revealed a highly repetitive arrangement of hearths and pit features within houses. Most pit storage features were constructed outside and between houses. This survey helped archaeologist estimate the cumulative storage capacity for staple crops -- corn, beans, and squash. Magnetic data documents that the village palisade and ditch mark a stark boundary for activities. Inhabitants apparently did not construct features or facilities of any substance immediately outside the palisade.