A new TDR-based method for monitoring the stability of underground archaeological sites

In spite of preliminary prospections, it often occurs that new underground archaeological sites can be unexpectedly discovered while, for example, constructing buildings or subways, or during archaeological excavations, etc. In such cases, it is common practice to re-bury the discovered site, while waiting for the Agencies and/or Bodies in charge to decide about the continuation. In such a scenario, it is important to be able to monitor the site, so as to prevent possible landslip and consequent catastrophic events. To this purpose, the present work proposes the use of a wire-like, passive sensing element that can be buried in the soil covering the archeological site and that can be used in conjunction with time domain reflectometry (TDR), to monitor the soil and to provide a prompt alert of incipient signs of landslip.