Magnetic Resonance Imaging clinical scanner as a novel tool for archaeological waterlogged wood analysis and 3D digitalization

Moisture is the main factor that causes deterioration in cultural heritage objects made of porous materials. It is essential to determine moisture content (MC) to understand the state of preservation and choose the best conservation treatment. At the same time, it is essential to choose non-destructive and non-invasive approaches for more sustainable investigations, making them safe for the environment and the sample. In this study, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the most important non-invasive medical imaging technique for human tissues analysis, was applied to study archaeological waterlogged wood samples. This type of archaeological material has a very high moisture content (400%-800%), thus proving to be an ideal investigative subject for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance imaging which detect water molecules inside matter. However, despite MRI being a very promising and attractive method for providing detailed, non-invasive, and quantitative information in living materials containing water, MRI in wood research is still far from being a routine tool. By this methodology it is possible to obtain information about water content and conservation status through T1, T2 and T2* weighted images analysis. Furthermore, it permits to processing 3D reconstruction that could be an innovative tool for marine archaeological collections digitalization. Moreover, samples are directly scanned in the water where they are stored, without any sampling or handling and any water artefact on images. In this study, an MRI protocol analysis is shown, in order to obtain useful information about moisture content, conservation status and acquire 3D reconstruction in an all-in-one methodology.