INTRODUCING GEOPHYSICS AND REMOTE SENSING METHODS WITH SURPRISING RESULTS

We created a field-based lab exercise using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) as part of a methods course for undergraduate students majoring in Geography. Students are already intimately familiar with the campus, but have no idea what lies beneath their feet undiscovered. We used a Sensors & Software LMX200 GPR, and introduced the students to geophysics as a remote sensing technique for subsurface mapping. After an initial introduction, and some enticing urban legends about both Geomorphology and Revolutionary War era human settlements, student teams completed a survey of an area of suspected interest. To the students’ surprise, the assigned areas were the front lawn of the Superintendent’s house (equivalent to the University President) and the parade field that Cadets march on every week. Structures to discover and classify include a tunnel of unknown use and origin (dating back at least 200 years), a firing battery and coastal artillery mortars (dating back at least 100 years), and a kettle lake feature dating to the glaciers that shaped the Hudson River and Hudson Valley. Students gain excitement and inspiration from learning about subsurface artifacts hidden in plain sight, but also learn the importance of adequate survey design and site-specific research before any data is collected. The design of the project intentionally misdirects the students to get excited about the ease and novelty of the GPR as a discovery tool, while warning them that planning, preparation, and data processing are actually where the learning takes place. Students also must contend with discovery of exciting features that are not the target of their research, such as buried utility lines. The methodology developed for the teams is repeatable for future courses, but also can be cumulative and comparative to build on good quality data archived from semester to semester.