HR: 0800h
AN: NS31B-0389    [Abstracts]
TI: Ground-penetrating radar survey use for documentation of a historic cemetery in Sand Brook Township, NJ
AU: * Bitting, K S
EM: kbitting@eden.rutgers.edu
AF: Rutgers University, Department of Geoscience 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
AU: Nikulin, A
EM: alnikulin@gmail.com
AF: Rutgers University, Department of Geoscience 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
AU: Earley, R J
EM: ryan.j.earley@email.com
AF: Rutgers University, Department of Geoscience 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
AU: Swisher, C
EM: cswish@rci.rutgers.edu
AF: Rutgers University, Department of Geoscience 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
AB: Much of the early history of the United States can be traced through old cemetery sites scattered throughout the Northeast. Today, many historic burial sites are in less-than-ideal condition, as upkeep of old grave locations is neglected and written records of the details of cemeteries are lost through time. In addition, tombstones can be rendered invisible at the surface through erosion and soil movement processes, both natural and anthropogenic in origin. We document the ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey of a graveyard dating back to the colonial era, and still in use today. A control survey of locations with known burials shows that disruption of strata at grave sites is clearly visible using 200 and 400 MHz antennas; another control survey in an area where graves are not expected demonstrates the undisturbed stratigraphy of the slump deposit comprising the hill where the graveyard is located. Subsequent survey of areas within and near the cemetery without marked graves has allowed us to document the positions of individual burials and, in at least one case, even rediscover an original tombstone beneath ~5 cm of modern soil. This study demonstrates that ground-penetrating radar serves as an effective non- invasive method for documentation and restoration of historical-era burials.
DE: 0925 Magnetic and electrical methods (5109)
SC: Near-Surface Geophysics [NS]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting