Thaindian News

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Some of the most valuable historic sites and artefacts often lie buried under highways or beneath cities. Now researchers have devised a new tool to “see” what lies beneath the ground’s surface.

Who decides which sites should be “dug” - at considerable financial cost - and which should remain unexplored until a later date?

A new tool from Prof. Lev Eppelbaum, professor in geophysics and planetary sciences at the Tel Aviv University, may ’see’ what lies beneath and provide the answer, the journal Advances of Geosciences reports.

His tool can help people “see” meaningful objects, artefacts or civilizations - and lay them out in a four-dimensional chart.

Prof. Eppelbaum’s new tool combines advanced analyses from many geophysical methods and provides the most conclusive evidence ever produced about what’s below the ground’s surface, according to a Tel Aviv statement.

His tool is already being applied at many archaeological sites in Israel - and it’s ready to be used in the US and at other sites around the world.

Prof. Eppelbaum’s new tool gathers data from sources including radio transmitters and detailed magnetic field observations, and applies an original algorithmic approach to make sense of what lies below the earth’s surface at depths of several dozen yards.

Providing rapid results within days or even hours, the algorithm can “read” extensive data before any digging or exploration begins, says Prof. Eppelbaum.