The effectiveness of ground-penetrating radar surveys in the location of unmarked burial sites in modern cemeteries

Fiedler, Sabine; Illich, Bernhard; Berger, Jochen; Graw, Matthias

doi:10.1016/j.jappgeo.2009.03.003

Cited by 56 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Grave markers in burial grounds, if present, will not necessarily be accurate in marking burial positions as other authors have evidenced (see [6,55]…”

Section: Identify the Locations Of Any Unmarked Graves And/or Burial mentioning

confidence: 97%

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GPR and bulk ground resistivity surveys in graveyards: Locating unmarked burials in contrasting soil types

Hansen¹,

Pringle²,

Goodwin³

2014

Forensic Science International

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18 19With graveyards and cemeteries globally being increasingly designated as full, 20there is a growing need to identify unmarked burial positions to find burial space 21 or exhume and re-inter if necessary. In some countries, for example the U.S. 22 and U.K., burial sites are not usually re-used; however, most graveyard and 23 cemetery records do not have maps of positions. One non-invasive detection 24 method is near-surface geophysics, but there has been a lack of research to-25 date on optimal methods and/or equipment configuration. This paper presents 26 three case studies in contrasting burial environments, soil types, burial styles 27 and ages in the U.K. Geophysical survey results reveal unmarked burials could 28 be effectively identified from these case studies that were not uniform or 29 predicted using 225 MHz frequency antennae GPR 2D 0.5 m spaced profiles. 30Bulk ground electrical surveys, rarely used for unmarked burials, revealed 1 m 31 probe spacings were optimal compare to 0.5 m, with datasets needing 3D 32 detrending to reveal burial positions. Results were variable depending upon 33 soil type; in very coarse soils GPR was optimal; whereas resistivity was optimal 34 in clay-rich soils and both were optimal in sandy and black earth soils.

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“…Grave markers in burial grounds, if present, will not necessarily be accurate in marking burial positions as other authors have evidenced (see [6,55]…”

Section: Identify the Locations Of Any Unmarked Graves And/or Burial mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to locate unmarked grave burials in graveyards and cemeteries with varying degrees of success (e.g. [6,21,23,31,[36][37][38][39][40][41] 42 Ruffell, 2005].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GPR and bulk ground resistivity surveys in graveyards: Locating unmarked burials in contrasting soil types

Hansen¹,

Pringle²,

Goodwin³

2014

Forensic Science International

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“…Combination of non-destructive techniques has been widely applied to corroborate historical archive information features (Barilaro et al, 2007;Conyers and Connell, 2007;Pérez et al, 2000;Sutton and Conyers, 2013) and map unmarked subterranean features (Costanzo et al, 2014;Fiedler et al, 2009;Leucci and De Giorgi, 2005;Moropoulou et al, 2005). Laser scanner is currently the quickest and most powerful tool to generate completed 3D models of a variety of subterranean spaces (Abellán et al, 2014;Buchroithner and Gaisecker, 2009;Fanti et al, 2013;Fekete et al, 2010;Lam, 2006;Pejić, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding subterranean grain storage heritage in the Mediterranean region: The Valencian silos (Spain)

Valls

García

Ramírez

et al. 2015

Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology

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Underground space has widely been used through history, provided either by natural or by dug cavities that were used as storage for farming production. In particular, cereals have constantly been present in the Mediterranean cultures. Their preservation was crucial in the Mediterranean grain trade for local and urban growth. The main goal of this multidisciplinary study is to analyse the typological and architectural characteristics of underground Mediterranean granary structures. It also discusses the excavation process for building a silo, focusing in a study of the Valencian Silos at the Spanish Mediterranean shore. The Valencian silo-yard was essential for the socio-economic city development in the 16th century. This is the first research performed on this subterranean ensemble, by searching through historical documents and using a non-destructive technique (NDT) as Ground Penetrating Radar (SIR-3000, GSSI) with 100 MHz and 400 MHz antennae. The composition soil was obtained for hydrogeological characteristics by geotechnical tests. Besides, laser scanner and GPS surveys were carried out for mapping the silo-yard in detail. Since the Valencian silos are a relevant example of subterranean engineering storage, we were able to carry out a comparative study of significant Mediterranean silos (from Algeria, Italy, Jordan, Malta and Turkey) by reviewing documentation. As a result, these underground spaces share numerous features, as type of terrain, excavation process, geographic location, morphology, dimensions, sealing system, usage, etc. These similar features illustrate that a subterranean grain storage stereotype is present in the Mediterranean region heritage. AbstractUnderground space has widely been used through history, provided either by natural or by dug cavities that were used as storage for farming production. In particular, cereals have constantly been present in the Mediterranean cultures. Their preservation was crucial in the Mediterranean grain trade for local and urban growth.The main goal of this multidisciplinary study is to analyse the typological and architectural characteristics of underground Mediterranean granary structures. It also discusses the excavation process for building a silo, focusing in a study of the Valencian Silos at the Spanish Mediterranean shore. The Valencian silo-yard was essential for the socio-economic city development in the 16 th century. This is the first research performed on this subterranean ensemble, by searching through historical documents and using a non-destructive technique (NDT) as Ground Penetrating Radar (SIR-3000, GSSI) with 100 MHz and 400 MHz antennae. The composition soil was obtained for hydrogeological characteristics by geotechnical tests. Besides, laser scanner and GPS surveys were carried out for mapping the silo-yard in detail.Since the Valencian silos are a relevant example of subterranean engineering storage, we were able to carry out a comparative study of significant Mediterranean silos (from Algeria, Italy, Jordan, Malta and Tur...

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“…SO methodologies have been applied to archeological prospection, pipe and tank detection, land-mine detection, engineeringstructure characterization, forensic investigation, groundwater and leakage monitoring and shallow-geomorphology mapping, etc. (Bhosle et al, 2007;Bonomo et al, 2009;Fiedler et al, 2009;Gomez et al, 2009;Orlando and Slob, 2009;Pettinelli et al, 2008;Porsani and Sauck, 2007;Zyada et al, 2011). In this paper we discuss the use of a synthetic antennae array to improve GPR signals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GPR-signal improvement using a Synthetic Emitter Array

Cedrina

Bonomo

Osella

2011

Journal of Applied Geophysics

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The effectiveness of ground-penetrating radar surveys in the location of unmarked burial sites in modern cemeteries

Cited by 56 publications

References 19 publications

GPR and bulk ground resistivity surveys in graveyards: Locating unmarked burials in contrasting soil types

GPR and bulk ground resistivity surveys in graveyards: Locating unmarked burials in contrasting soil types

Understanding subterranean grain storage heritage in the Mediterranean region: The Valencian silos (Spain)

GPR-signal improvement using a Synthetic Emitter Array

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