Scientists are using muography (cosmic ray muon detection) to peer inside Mexico's famous El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá. Built between 800-1200 AD by the Maya. The pyramid already has two known chambers discovered in the 1930s - researchers will use these to validate the technology before searching for new discoveries. The technique works because muons pass through low-density material more easily, allowing researchers to map interior structures without excavation. Ancient Maya construction with nested pyramids inside.
Muography to scan El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá for hidden chambers
MexicoRemote Sensing
Key facts
- International research team preparing to use muon technology (muography) on El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Mexico
- Pyramid built between 8th and 12th centuries AD (hundreds of years after Egypt's Great Pyramid)
- Collaboration between University of Mexico, Chicago State University, Dominican University, Virginia University, and Fermi National Laboratory
- Scientists will first validate muography by identifying two known chambers found in the 1930s
- Muography detects cosmic ray muons - approximately 10,000 per square yard hit Earth every minute
- Muons pass through matter in straight lines and are less likely to be absorbed by low-density matter
- Muon detectors positioned around structure can create 3D density model of interior
- 2018 electrical resistivity imaging discovered pyramid built over waterfilled cenote about 70 feet deep
- Cenotes were sacred to Maya, viewed as portals to the underworld
- Pyramid has multiple construction phases with at least two earlier pyramid structures nested inside it
- Some theories suggest earlier substructure with potential royal burials
- Project is non-destructive as Chichén Itzá is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with limited destructive archaeological methods allowed
Site mentioned
Sources
2023 Abstract from Jensen and Brian | QuarkNetquarknet.org
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By harnessing cosmic rays and muon detectors, scientists hope to create an image of the insides of El Castillo, the towering pyramid dominating ...
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