A Geoarcheological Investigation in Medieval Coastal Dunes using Ground-Penetrating Radar

In the sea harbor of IJmuiden, the Netherlands, a sandy island was removed. In the light of high<br>archeological expectance a geoarcheological inventory was compulsory prior to the digging and<br>dredging. Prospective geoarcheological research in aeolian environments concerns a standard procedure<br>involving the determination of paleosols by borings. The paleosols were found at the site obliging<br>digging of an inventory trench. Before the trenching a 100 MHz ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey<br>was conducted yielding a penetration depth of about 6 to 7 m. Rationale was to deduce the suitability of<br>GPR for prospecting geoarcheological research in coastal dunes. Radar facies units were compared with<br>observations in the trench. Furthermore, 14C and OSL dating of molluscs and sediments was done.