Data from drone-based lidar allows researchers to construct detailed images like this of the ground surface. In this image, the rooms of an ancient pueblo are visible, as well as a depression that researchers believe would have marked the location of a kiva inside the pueblo. Credit: Jeff Ferguson and Francisco “Paco” Gomez
Lidar is a technique that uses laser pulses to"map" the ground surface. While drone-based lidar can provide more detailed images of thethan plane-based lidar, the team is exploring whether drones can be used efficiently to conduct the large-scale land surveys needed to search for these sites—efforts that can sometimes encompass hundreds of square miles.
"The chemical composition of the obsidian artifacts can be compared to known natural outcrops and help determine the geologic source of the artifacts," said Ferguson, who also teaches college students how to replicate stone tools."The use of obsidian sourcing can be a good indicator of social and economic interaction in the past."