Karstic morphologies identified with geophysics around saulges caves (Mayenne, France)

Abstract

Geophysical measurements were carried out around Saulges caves that sought to highlight the local karstic morphologies and the impact on preservation of archaeological material withi n the caves. Electrical resistivity tomographies (ERTs) and apparent conductivity mapping detected a soil cover on the plateaus that ends abruptly over fractured limestone or over a bowl-shaped structure filled with clay soil. Moreover, there is at least one zone of soil accumulation with a basin form with almost no soil cover around this structure. The ERTand seismic refraction tomography (SRT) detected an important anomaly in the valley. Many clues indicate that this anomaly is a karstic conduit filled with water orclay.Therefore, some karstic dissolution zones have been found and only geophysical methods are able to detect such features. Detection of preferential pathways could help to protect prehistoric art within the caves and new karstic morphologies help to better understand this karstic system. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.