Seeing Below the Surface with Electrical Resistivity Tomography: Exploring the Deepest Reaches of Arkansas' Tallest Prehistoric Mounds

Author

James Robert Zimmer-Dauphinee, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow

Date of Graduation

1-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Anthropology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Anthropology

Advisor/Mentor

Kenneth Kvamme

Committee Member

George Sabo

Second Committee Member

Jami Lockhart

Third Committee Member

Elizabeth Horton

Keywords

Archaeology, Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Geophysics, Mounds, Plum Bayou, Toltec

Abstract

Despite decades of research and over a century of public interest, the most prominent features at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, Mound A and Mound B, remain virtually unexamined by modern archaeological techniques, and poorly understood. The tremendous scale and importance of these mounds makes most standard research methods difficult if not impossible. Electrical Resistivity Tomography, a geophysical technique rarely used in North America, was employed to survey both Mound A and Mound B, resulting in models of the subsurface that provide insights into the construction, modification and condition of the mounds.

Citation

Zimmer-Dauphinee, J. R. (2014). Seeing Below the Surface with Electrical Resistivity Tomography: Exploring the Deepest Reaches of Arkansas' Tallest Prehistoric Mounds. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2205