Bay of Skaill Geophysical Survey

Date 20 June 2009 - 29 June 2009

Event ID 608564

Category Project

Type Project

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/608564

HY 2365 1962, HY 2283 2399 and HY 2300 2410 This project focuses on building landscape context for erosive coastal areas with significant windblown sand. Work from 20–29 June 2009 focused on the mound complex on the N side of the Bay of Skaill. Gradiometry and GPR showed a dense concentration of magnetic anomalies which were subjected to selective excavation in 2004–8. The concentration of multi-period ‘mound’ sites around the N of the Bay can now be expanded from one to at least five foci (excluding Broch of Verron, RCAHMS HY21NW 22 and RBW HY21 12, Verron 2). No excavation took place in 2009 but geophysical surveys

were continued and extended, connecting with the previous survey of the WHS buffer zone to the S (Orkney College Geophysics Unit).

A geophysical survey was begun at Marwick Bay in 2008 and continued in 2009. The chapel (SAM 2934) produced strong magnetometry and resistivity plots. Survey, characterisation, recording and soil sampling works also took place on the eroding settlement mound on the shore front of Marwick Bay (SAM 2884 – termed ‘Viking house’ by RCAHMS). Samples and radiocarbon dates will be processed in 2010.

Archive: OUDCE, Oxford University. Report: Historic Scotland, Orkney Museum, Orkney SMR and RCAHMS

Funder: Historic Scotland, Orkney Islands Council and Oxford University

David Griffiths – Oxford University