PROSPECTS OF USING SHALLOW SEISMIC SURVEY FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS IN THE TERRITORY OF THE BOLGAR SITE IN TATARSTAN

A shallow seismic survey was for the first time carried out at the site of the ancient town of Bolgar, Tatarstan. The informational content of the registered wave field was estimated for solving some archaeological problems such as mapping of shallow subsurface boundaries and imaging of shallow heterogeneities with size less than a wave length. A conclusion was made that near surface seismic conditions are favorable for the use of shallow seismic survey for archaeological purposes. It was found that both first-arrival (guided) waves and Rayleigh waves, dominating in the shallow weathered layer, should be considered informative. The obtained data make it possible to select a rational seismic acqui- sition technique for further archaeological investigations.