USING GROUND PENETRATING RADAR TO LOCATE FOUNDATIONS OF PAST BUILDINGS

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a noninvasive technology that has many applications including subsurface geology, archeology, engineering and environmental studies. GPR uses radar antennas that are dragged across a surface to send out electromagnetic waves and to create a 2-dimensional profile of the shallow subsurface. If there is a material located in the subsurface with a different electrical property than the surrounding medium, the waves will scatter around the object and be received by the antenna, creating a reflection in the data. GPR data can also be processed to create 3D block diagrams that can be used to pinpoint the locations of objects or structures. In these projects, GPR data were collected using a GSSI, Inc. SIR-3000 system to search for foundations associated with buildings that no longer exist. The use of GPR data at the two sites is important because it prevents disturbance of the ground at important historical sites and is helpful for planning future excavations.

In order to locate several stone foundations at Old Fort Niagara near Youngstown New York, a grid of data were collected using a 400MHz antenna and a survey wheel along 20 meter transects spaced .5 meters apart. The data were processed into a 3D block diagram that was used to locate the foundations of several buildings including an old barracks. These data will be used by the SUNY Buffalo State Archaeology Field School to plan future work.

GPR was also used to search for the locations of buildings associated with the Buttery Elevators that used to exist near the Whirlpool State Park along the Niagara Gorge. Data were collected along 3-5 parallel transects instead of over a larger grid because parts of the area were thickly covered with vegetation. GPR is very useful at this site as the exact locations of the foundations were not known due to varying location differences from historical maps. GPR is helping to determine if and where these foundations are located for historical purposes including signage along a hiking trail.