1978, at the invitation of Henan Provincial Museum, the geophysical team of Henan Geological Bureau used magnetic method and resistivity method to locate the ancient tomb of Hougudui in Gushi County, which was confirmed by excavation [6].
198 1 From the end of the year to the beginning of 1982, the Chu County Cultural Relics Protection Institute of Anhui Province cooperated with the Cultural Relics Protection Institute of the Ministry of Culture to conduct a resistivity test on an underground ancient city wall site in Nanzhengmen Village, the western suburb of Kaifeng, and the exploration results were quite consistent with the drilling verification results [5].
1982, the Institute of Cultural Relics Protection Science and Technology of the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Ministry of Culture cooperated with the Institute of Cultural Relics Protection Science and Technology of Chuxian County, Anhui Province, and successfully discovered the ancient tomb in Boxian County, Anhui Province by using the resistivity method, which was confirmed as a brick tomb after excavation [7].
1982, Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology and other units used magnetic method, resistivity method and chemical method to detect mercury in the mausoleum of Qin Shihuang [1]. Have a certain understanding of the depth and scope of tombs [8].
In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources took the initiative to introduce geophysical exploration methods to the national cultural relics department, and initially reached an understanding that geophysical exploration teams could be invited to participate in the corresponding work in large-scale national archaeological activities. After that, the archaeological department of China cooperated with some geophysical prospecting units to carry out a lot of archaeological work, and some cultural relics departments and subordinate units set up their own geophysical prospecting archaeological units.
Since the mid-1980s, geophysical exploration has carried out a series of work in ancient tombs and sites. Mainly in 1987, the Institute of Cultural Relics Protection in Chu County, Anhui Province explored the Chengmen site in Fengyang, Anhui Province by using electrical sounding [7]. During the period of 1987, the Institute of Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources carried out the electromagnetic method and thermoluminescence mercury measurement in the tomb area and palace of Yinxu in Anyang, Henan Province. The electromagnetic anomaly is basically consistent with the thermoluminescence mercury anomaly, which reflects these detection objects [1]. During the period of 1987, the Geological Research and Testing Center of Beijing Bureau of Geology and Minerals used very low frequency electromagnetic method to explore the Shanrong tomb in Yanqing, Beijing, and found many anomalies, half of which were ancient tombs after preliminary verification [4]. During the period of 1987, Xi Institute of Geology used magnetic and electrical methods to work on the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. 1988, the hidden grottoes of the Thousand Buddha Cave in Qizil, Baicheng, Xinjiang were explored by the Institute of Railway Science and other units with the method of middle gradient profile and five-pole longitudinal axis sounding, and it was confirmed that there was a cave underground after excavation [1]. 1988, the Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the Ming Tombs in Beijing with high-precision gravity and shallow earthquakes, and obtained the inference model of the underground palace, which provided a basis for future excavation [1]. 1989, China Geo University used ground penetrating radar to explore the Tonglushan ancient copper mine site in Daye, Hubei Province. The projection of the old cave drawn by ground penetrating radar is basically the same as that of archaeological excavation, but slightly different [1].
1989 to 1992, China Geo University and Henan Provincial Cultural Relics explored the ancient tombs from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty in Xinzheng, Henan Province by magnetic method, and the results were confirmed by drilling. 199 1 year, China Geo University and Jingzhou Museum explored the Chu Tomb of Yutai, Chudu, Jiangling, Hubei Province by using magnetic method, electrical method profile and electrical sounding. In addition to the known anomalies on the grave, new anomalies have been discovered. 199 1 year, the foundation of Song Yue Temple in Dengfeng County, Henan Province was explored by Tiejianyuan and other units by using the intermediate gradient method and ground penetrating radar, and it was confirmed that there was a crypt filled with fine soil after excavation. 1994 In the first half of the year, the Institute of Geophysics of the State Seismological Bureau, Tanaka Geological Co., Ltd. and other units carried out electrical CT, ground penetrating radar, very low frequency electromagnetic method and magnetic method in Maoheling, Yunyang County, Chongqing, and then the Institute of Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Geophysical Exploration of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources carried out earthquake, magnetic method, electrical method and geochemical exploration in this area [6544
In the middle and late 1990s, China Geo University delineated the ancient kiln site and ancient well site in Dengfeng, Henan Province by magnetic method. The Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences used the high-density resistivity method to explore the ancient underground city wall site of the Song State in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in Shangqiu, Henan Province, which was in good agreement with the archaeological drilling results [1 1]. The Institute of Cultural Relics Protection in Chuxian County, Anhui Province used magnetic and electrical methods to work on the smelting site of Nanling ancient copper mine in Anhui Province and the porcelain kiln site in Jixi County, Anhui Province during the Five Dynasties-Northern Song Dynasty [2]. The underwater archaeological room of China History Museum used side sonar, magnetic method and shallow earthquake to find the location of ancient sunken ship in Suizhong County, Liaoning Province [1]. Changsha Institute of Tectonics, China Academy of Sciences used radon survey and ground penetrating radar to evaluate the integrity of Chu tombs in Changsha [9]. The seismic surface wave method used in geophysical and geochemical exploration of the Ministry of Geology and Minerals was used to test a tomb of the Warring States near Beijing. The results show that this method is basically consistent with the drilling results of the cultural relics department [1].
In the aspect of cultural relics protection, since 1990s, Shaanxi Cultural Relics Protection Center has cooperated with Bavarian Cultural Protection Bureau of Germany to evaluate the weathering status and reinforcement effect of the Giant Buddha Grottoes in Binxian County, Shaanxi Province by ultrasonic method. The weathering degree of the surface of Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan and the effect of spraying windproof agent were tested by micro-electrical sounding. In the protection of key cultural relics such as Yungang Grottoes in Shaanxi, Longmen Grottoes in Henan, Qizil Grottoes in Xinjiang, and the tomb of Nanyue King, the reinforcement effect after spraying this weathering inhibitor was also tested [1, 10, 12].
According to the information provided by relevant parties, the Western Zhou tombs in Joo Won?-Fengxiang, Shaanxi Province, the Western Han tombs in Zhangye, Gansu Province, Guyangcheng in Henan Province during the Warring States Period, Heishuiguo Ancient City in Gansu Province, Guzhan Road in Yongqing, Hebei Province, and the foundation stone laying of the Forbidden City in Beijing have also been explored. It also carried out the work of finding prehistoric caves buried in Zhoukoudian and excavating the internal damage of cultural relics such as Lanting Imperial Monument in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.
Because our country's archaeological and cultural relics protection work is still a non-profit undertaking, the whole work is carried out under the guidance of the national cultural relics department. Basically, some work is carried out in designated areas with archaeological activities, and the methods adopted are mostly light and economical. The combination of geophysical exploration and archaeology is much smaller than other application fields of geophysical exploration. Although a lot of work has been done in recent years, it still belongs to a new application field of geophysical exploration.