NEW METHODS IN PALEONTOLOGY: THE APPLICATION OF GPR AS A SURVEYING TECHNIQUE IN VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS

In order to develop an application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), student researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas have conducted GPR surveys at two vertebrate fossil sites in Texas. Each site is known to produce Cretaceous-age vertebrate fossil material (Dinosauria: Sauropoda). These sites were chosen to facilitate the surveys due to an abundance of large vertebrate fossil material, as large objects are generally easier to detect in the subsurface than small objects. GPR detects variations in the distribution of electromagnetic (EM) properties in the subsurface. These EM properties may be analyzed to differentiate rock from fossil material, after data processing. This allows researchers the ability to assess the location of material in the subsurface. This data is used to generate a GPR-enhanced map of the subsurface at a fossil quarry. The GPR-enhanced map is then used to guide field crews in paleontological excavations.