Detection and Characterization of Simulated Clandestine Burials Using GPR

We conducted ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys to detect the presence of simulated clandestine burials at the Amsterdam Research Initiative for Subsurface Taphonomy and Anthropology (ARISTA) test facility. Our aim is to determine the characteristic responses of the simulated clandestine burials in this man-made sandy environment (reclaimed land) and use them to provide recommendations for forensic investigations. We performed GPR surveys over three simulated clandestine burials at ARISTA during four non-consecutive days. The acquired data represent common-offset data to investigate changes to burial detectability depending on central antenna frequency (250 MHz and 500 MHz), different GPR instruments (NOGGIN or pulseEKKO), changes to survey grid orientation relative to burials, and increased soil moisture content in the survey area. In common-offset radargrams the burial anomalies take on many forms, appearing as disruptions to existing features (direct-wave arrivals and soil horizons) and as isolated reflection events (hyperbolic events and burial-length horizontal anomalies). In time slices, the burials are characterized by high- or low-amplitude rectangular anomalies. When used in conjunction, the radargrams and time slices produce characteristic responses consistent with the locations of the burials, regardless of the survey grid orientation. Increased soil moisture at the site improves the detectability of the burials.