Location
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
Start Date
4-5-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2024 11:30 AM
Poster Number
143
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Eileen Ernenwein
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Geosciences
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Presentation Category
Science, Technology and Engineering
Abstract or Artist's Statement
The Sinking Spring Cemetery in Abingdon, VA was founded in 1773 by the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church. Since its founding, the cemetery has been divided into two separate sections; the “colored” cemetery and the “white” cemetery. The traditionally white cemetery is 9 acres and has easy access from the road, walled in family plots, walking paths, and many stones for individual burials. The other cemetery is only 2 acres with very few stones and access to it is more difficult. The purpose of this study is to utilize non-invasive survey methods such as geophysics and drone remote sensing to analyze the “colored” cemetery in hopes of revealing how many unmarked burials there are. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) will be the main geophysical tool used for this study. GPR sends radio waves into the ground and can record the way those waves reflect and refract on anything different than the surrounding soils. For drone surveying, 3 different sensors were used; Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), thermal, and multispectral. LiDAR can detect the slightest changes in elevation using dense laser scans. Thermal sensing can sometimes detect the heat signatures of buried objects and disturbed soils. Lastly, multispectral is most useful for analyzing infrared bands of light; the sensor measures two infrared bands. Different bands can also be combined to reveal different patterns. Small feasibility studies were conducted for the GPR and drone surveying. GPR has proven to be effective, and the drone results are extremely successful so far.
An Integrative Approach for Unmarked Burial Detection in Abingdon, Virginia: A Study Using Drone Surveying and Multi-Tool Geophysics
D.P. Culp Center Ballroom
The Sinking Spring Cemetery in Abingdon, VA was founded in 1773 by the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church. Since its founding, the cemetery has been divided into two separate sections; the “colored” cemetery and the “white” cemetery. The traditionally white cemetery is 9 acres and has easy access from the road, walled in family plots, walking paths, and many stones for individual burials. The other cemetery is only 2 acres with very few stones and access to it is more difficult. The purpose of this study is to utilize non-invasive survey methods such as geophysics and drone remote sensing to analyze the “colored” cemetery in hopes of revealing how many unmarked burials there are. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) will be the main geophysical tool used for this study. GPR sends radio waves into the ground and can record the way those waves reflect and refract on anything different than the surrounding soils. For drone surveying, 3 different sensors were used; Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), thermal, and multispectral. LiDAR can detect the slightest changes in elevation using dense laser scans. Thermal sensing can sometimes detect the heat signatures of buried objects and disturbed soils. Lastly, multispectral is most useful for analyzing infrared bands of light; the sensor measures two infrared bands. Different bands can also be combined to reveal different patterns. Small feasibility studies were conducted for the GPR and drone surveying. GPR has proven to be effective, and the drone results are extremely successful so far.