Locating Graves Using Ground Penetrating Radar
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
Maria Cioppa
Proposal
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been applied in a wide range of subsurface studies. The geophysical technique uses electromagnetic waves to generate profiles and areal maps of the subsurface at the site surveyed, and thus is very useful in detecting subsurface anomalies. GPR can and has been used to locate unmarked graves at forgotten cemeteries at residential schools. we examined a small site within St. John’s Anglican Church cemetery (Sandwich, ON) using Sensors and Software Smartcart Noggin+ with a 500 MHz antenna. During this research, we attempted to locate a metallic “box†anomaly that had been previously observed. The site was located in a portion of the cemetery dating back to the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. During this time, metallic caskets were not used and therefore, the possible presence of the metallic “box†is intriguing. The survey site was a 7x8m rectangle in St. John’s cemetery, and the survey was run using a grid pattern with line spacing at 0.25 meters. A DualEM 2/4 conductivity meter was used to confirm whether a metallic signal was present. We did not locate that a metallic anomaly within our survey area; however, we did find a large unmarked anomaly which was non-metallic. We argue that it could be an older grave with a broken casket, or a fallen headstone, although it is located quite deep. Several exploratory lines near the original area located a metallic anomaly. This research emphasizes the importance of understanding different burial types and conducting systematic surveys.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Locating Graves Using Ground Penetrating Radar
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been applied in a wide range of subsurface studies. The geophysical technique uses electromagnetic waves to generate profiles and areal maps of the subsurface at the site surveyed, and thus is very useful in detecting subsurface anomalies. GPR can and has been used to locate unmarked graves at forgotten cemeteries at residential schools. we examined a small site within St. John’s Anglican Church cemetery (Sandwich, ON) using Sensors and Software Smartcart Noggin+ with a 500 MHz antenna. During this research, we attempted to locate a metallic “box†anomaly that had been previously observed. The site was located in a portion of the cemetery dating back to the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. During this time, metallic caskets were not used and therefore, the possible presence of the metallic “box†is intriguing. The survey site was a 7x8m rectangle in St. John’s cemetery, and the survey was run using a grid pattern with line spacing at 0.25 meters. A DualEM 2/4 conductivity meter was used to confirm whether a metallic signal was present. We did not locate that a metallic anomaly within our survey area; however, we did find a large unmarked anomaly which was non-metallic. We argue that it could be an older grave with a broken casket, or a fallen headstone, although it is located quite deep. Several exploratory lines near the original area located a metallic anomaly. This research emphasizes the importance of understanding different burial types and conducting systematic surveys.