CH016 - GEOPHYSICAL METHODS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

courses
ID:
CH016
Duration (hours):
60
CFU:
6
SSD:
GEOFISICA APPLICATA
Located in:
PESCARA
Url:
BUILDING ENGINEERING/ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE Year: 2
Year:
2025
Course Catalogue:
https://unich.coursecatalogue.cineca.it/af/2025?co...

Overview

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 21/12/2025)

Syllabus

Course Objectives


Students will familiarize themselves with the mathematical and physical principles underlying the most widely used geophysical investigation methods in the field of cultural heritage. They will understand how these methods enable the investigation of the subsurface, solid structures, or the search for historically significant artifacts, at various scales and in a non-invasive manner. Students will learn how different geophysical methods respond to different physical properties, allowing them to identify the most appropriate method for each specific application. They will also learn how to process and extract information from various types of data using open-source software, and how to present the results through digital 3D representations.

Course Prerequisites


Ability to solve integrals in one dimension. Ability to calculate the partial derivatives of a function of several variables. Understand what a differential equation is. Programming skills in Matlab or Python are NOT required, but highly desirable.

Teaching Methods


Lectures; demonstration of examples using simulated data; visualization and processing of real data using open-source software;Field data acquisition activities (ERT, GPR, and approaches based on the propagation of elastic waves).

Assessment Methods


The exam will consist of an oral interview which will focus in depth on three specific topics. Full details will be provided by the instructor in the “exam policy” document. Evaluation will be expressed as a fraction of 30.

Texts


The following textbooks, available online, are recommended:
* Fundamentals Of Geophysics, by William Lowrie, editor: Cambridge University Press. ISBN-13 978-0-511-35447-2; ISBN-10 0-511-35447-9
* An Introduction to Applied and Environmental Geophysics, By John M. Reynolds; editor John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; ISBN 978-0-471-48535-3 (hardback); 978-0-471-485360 (paperback)
For those who can read Italian: Lezioni di geofisica applicata, di G. Santarato, N. Abu Zeid, e S. Bignardi. Editore Libreriauniversitaria.it, ISBN-10 : 8862926405, ISBN-13 : 978-8862926409

Contents


Geophysical methods find wide application in cultural heritage and each specific methodology may be used for different purposes. This course explores the mathematical basis and practical implementation/use of those methods that find wide application in this field. In particular, for challenges such as:


Locate and outline buried walls, foundations, roads, tombs, ditches, etc.

Evaluate the integrity of historical structures, walls, floors, and columns.

Identify underground empty spaces beneath or near built heritage.

Assess and monitor moisture ingress, salt migration, and material degradation.

Identify buried or embedded metallic elements (coins, tools, reinforcements, etc.).

In this course, we will gain knowledge on the wide variety of such methods and investigate the most popular in detail. For example: Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT), P-Waves Tomography.

Course Language

Italian

Degrees

Degrees

BUILDING ENGINEERING 
Master’s Degree
2 years
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