Beauchaine, Werdemann UWL Journal of Undergraduate Research IX (2006) Using Ground Conductivity as a Geophysical Survey Technique to Locate Potential Archaeological Sites in the Bad Axe River Valley of

The Cade Archaeological District located in the drainage basin of the North Fork of the Bad Axe River of Western Wisconsin has 17 recorded prehistoric sites. These sites include both habitation sites and effigy mounds. The effigies are located on landforms such as steep hillsides, toe slopes, and valley bottoms. The goal of this research was to try to locate any significant archaeological formations by using an Electromagnetic (EM) ground conductivity meter. Without implementing other geophysical survey techniques, or excavating areas of interest, it is difficult to absolutely identify culturally emplaced material. While it is uncertain as to whether or not our results identify any culturally emplaced materials, there are significant conclusions about the geomorphology of the area that might be interpreted from our data. The nature of EM ground conductivity allows for much speculation in terms of the resulting data