Date of Award
5-2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Geology
Department
Geology and Geophysics
Major Professor
Serpa, Laura
Second Advisor
Sarwar, Abu K.M.
Third Advisor
Kulp, Mark
Abstract
The Charity Hospital Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, was used as a potter's field for over 150 years. When Charity Hospital considered selling a portion of the property ground penetrating radar (GPR) and thermal infrared (TIR) data were collected in the cemetery to locate unmarked graves. The TIR data could not be used because the expert died before compiling the TIR data. Therefore, the GPR data was the sole source of subsurface information. GPR anomalies were used to excavate 3 areas where bones and hospital supplies were subsequently found, unfortunately very limited analyses were possible on the analog GPR data. The study presented here involved digitizing data and conducting a more thorough analysis of map patterns to determine whether GPR data could be used reliably to locate burials in the cemetery. The study's result indicates that GPR is a reliable source for burial detection and other anomalies in the subsurface.
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Monique Tashell, "The Usefulness of Ground Penetrating Radar in locating burials in Charity Hospital Cemetery, New Orleans" (2008). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 686.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/686
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.