Yes, the idea in the OP is not new. To my knowledge, the first people to use remote sensing data in an archeological context used radar (SRTM, a synthetic aper

Yes, the idea in the OP is not new. To my knowledge, the first people to use remote sensing data in an archeological context used radar (SRTM, a synthetic aperture radar mapping mission that flew on the space shuttle). Radar can penetrate the land to a depth of ~meters depending on lots of factors. They discovered the lost city of Ubar, which was a trading city (ca. 3000 BC) in the Arabian peninsula that had been lost to the desert. They discovered it because trails that had formerly led into Ubar gave off stronger radar reflections. Later on-site digs confirmed actual ruins. This was in 1992. A link: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01721 http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01721 The person who blurbed the book you found, Charles Elachi, was a key member of the team that designed the radar instrument that found Ubar. All of the SRTM data is online somewhere. The desert turns out to be a really good place to look for stuff. Less clutter.