EHG6042 - Geophysical survey - Thusater Burn, near Thurso

A magnetometry survey was undertaken by ORCA in 2018 over the mound at Thusater, thought to be a hut circle or possibly a broch. The survey had been commissioned by the Caithness Broch Project and covered an area of 4800m². It revealed responses consistent with the presence of prehistoric domestic human occupation and / or enhanced soils. An anomaly appearing as a sub-oval band of high positive responses measuring 8m wide and 26m in diameter appears to encircle the mound, perhaps with a further, weaker concentric oval approximately 10m outside. The nature of the anomaly is consistent with the presence of an archaeological feature and may represent a large ditch or bank. The mound itself is covered with a series of amorphous anomalies of corresponding, high positive and negative responses over an area of 32m by 30m. This anomaly is quite amorphous but may form a sub-oval or sub-rectangular shape. The nature of the anomaly is characteristic of the presence of archaeological deposits which may be directly associated with structural remains. It should be noted that the possibility remains, some of the identified anomalies may be at least partly geological or pedological in nature. <1>