GPR Survey in Underwater Archaeological in the Formoso Lake, Eastern Amazon Region

• Grant number: 24/06111-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Luís Porsani
• Grantee: Marcelo Conti Novoa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research is part of a pioneering project that is being developed with support from FAPESP (2023/16834-0). In this research, the student will go process and interpret GPR data on the underwater archaeological site Formoso Lake, located in the Maranhão wetlands, eastern Amazon. The objective is to map the wooden pillars of stilt villages built on the beds of rivers and lakes by pre-colonial people, as well as locate concentrations of ceramic materials. The wooden pillars correspond to tree trunks that were used to build stilt villages in the pre-colonial period, providing excellent archaeological evidence of Amazonian indigenous villages. GPR data has already been acquired using shielded 270 MHz and 350 MHz antennas and SIR-4000 equipment. The research will make it possible to guide the activities of divers at the underwater archaeological site, optimizing the process of collect archaeological artifacts, in addition to preserving the archaeological heritage in the Maranhão State, Northeast region of Brazil.