A semi-empirical index for estimating soil moisture from MIVIS data to identify subsurface archaeological sites

The possibilities offered by studying the tonal variations of the bare soil (damp-mark) are well known in archaeology: their existence in fact can be an indication of the presence in the subsoil of archaeological structures or ditches that inhibit or facilitate the absorption of rainwater and of the rising of humidity. The studying of the different degrees of water absorption of a soil becomes therefore particularly useful for the identification of buried archaeological sites in extra-urban context. In this work will be presented a Soil Index for hyperspectral MIVIS data that aims to constitute a support for the identification of traces over not-vegetated soil, emphasizing the wetness or the dryness of a portion of the ground.