Detecting buried human remains using near-surface geophysical instruments

Kathryn Powell

doi:10.1071/EG04088

ISSN: 0812-3985
E-ISSN: 1834-7533

Detecting buried human remains using near-surface geophysical instruments
Authors Kathryn Powell
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: Exploration Geophysics, Volume 35, Issue 1, Mar 2004, p. 88 - 92
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/EG04088
- Received: 17 Aug 2003
- Accepted: 16 Feb 2003
- Published online: 01 Mar 2004

Abstract

To improve the recovery rate of unlocated buried human remains in forensic investigations, there is scope to evaluate and develop techniques that are applicable to the Australian environment. I established controlled gravesites (comprising shallow buried kangaroos, pigs, and human cadavers) in South Australia, to allow the methodical testing of remote sensing equipment for the purpose of grave detection in forensic investigations. Eight-month-old pig graves are shown to provide more distinct identifying results using ground-penetrating radar when compared to four-year-old kangaroo graves. Two further aspects of this research are presented: information (obtained from a survey) relating to the police use of geophysical instruments for locating buried human remains, and the use of electrical resistivity for locating human remains buried in a coffin.

The survey of Australian police jurisdictions, covering the period 1995-2000, showed that police searches for unlocated bodies have not successfully located human remains using any geophysical instruments (such as ground-penetrating radar, magnetometers, or electrical resistivity).

Lower resistivity readings were found coincident with the 150-year-old single historical burial in a heavily excavated field, in a situation where its exact location was previously unknown.

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1071/EG04088

2004-03-01

2026-01-18

From This Site

/content/journals/10.1071/EG04088

dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword

-contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution

10

5

Full text loading...

References

Bevan, B.W., 1991, The Search for Graves: Geophysics, 56, 1310–1319.
Davenport, G.C., 2001, Remote Sensing Applications in Forensic Investigations: Historical Archaeology, 35, 87–100.
Davis, J.L., Heginbottom, J.A., Anman, A.P., Daniels, R.S., Berdal, B.R, Bergan, T., Duncan, K.E., Lewin, P.K., Oxford, J.S., Roberts, N., Skehel, J.J., and Smith, C.R., 2000, Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys to Locate 1918 Spanish Flu Victims in Permafrost: Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45, 68–76.
France, D.L., Griffin, T.J., Swanburg, J.G., Lindeman, J.W., Davenport, G.C., Trammell, V., Armhurst, C.T., Kondratieff, B., Nelson, A., Castellano, K., and D. Hopkins, D., 1992, A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Detection of Clandestine Graves: Journal of Forensic Sciences, 37, 1445–1458.
Hammon III, W.S., McMechan, G.A., and Xiaoxian Zeng, 2000, Forensic GPR: finite-difference simulations of responses from buried human remains: Journal of Applied Geophysics, 45, 171–186.
McManamon, FP, 1984, Discovering Sites Unseen: in Schiffer, M.B., (ed.), Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory: Academic Press, Inc.
Miller, PS., 1996, Disturbances in the Soil: Finding Buried Bodies and Other Evidence Using Ground Penetrating Radar: Journal of Forensic Sciences, 41, 648–652.
Nobes, D.C., 2000, The Search for "Yvonne": A Case Example of the Delineation of a Grave Using Near-Surface Geophysical Methods: Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45,715-721.
Owsley, D. W., 1995, Techniques for Locating Burials, with Emphasis on the Probe: Journal of Forensic Sciences, 40, 735–740.
Thomas, D.G., 1999, Investigative Sub-Surface Search: The Pros and Cons of Some Instrumented Search Technologies Available to Police in Australia: Australian Police Journal, 53, 62–72.
Unterberger, R.R., 1992, Ground Penetrating Radar: Geological Survey of Finland, Special Paper 16, 351–357.

/content/journals/10.1071/EG04088

Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): detection; electrical resistivity; forensic anthropology; graves; ground-penetrating radar; human remains; remote sensing

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed

- A comparison of smooth and blocky inversion methods in 2D electrical imaging surveys
  
  Authors M.H. Loke, Ian Acworth and Torleif Dahlin
- Reverse-Time Migration using the Poynting Vector
  
  Authors Kwangjin Yoon and Kurt J. Marfurt
- SkyTEM–a New High-resolution Helicopter Transient Electromagnetic System
  
  Authors K. I. Sorensen and Esben Auken
- An overview of a highly versatile forward and stable inverse algorithm for airborne, ground-based and borehole electromagnetic and electric data
  
  Authors Esben Auken, Anders Vest Christiansen, Casper Kirkegaard, Gianluca Fiandaca, Cyril Schamper, Ahmad Ali Behroozmand, Andrew Binley, Emil Nielsen, Flemming Effersø, Niels Bøie Christensen, Kurt Sørensen, Nikolaj Foged and Giulio Vignoli
- The Fast Marching Method: An Effective Tool for Tomographic Imaging and Tracking Multiple Phases in Complex Layered Media
  
  Authors Nicholas Rawlinson and Malcolm Sambridge
- 3-D Analytic Signal in the Interpretation of Total Magnetic Field Data at Low Magnetic Latitudes
  
  Authors Ian N. MacLeod, Keith Jones and Ting Fan Dai
- CMP cross-correlation analysis of multi-channel surface-wave data
  
  Authors Koichi Hayashi and Haruhiko Suzuki
- A new direct non-invasive groundwater detection technology for Australia
  
  Authors M. Schirov, A. Legchenko and G. Creer
- 3D inversion of airborne electromagnetic data using a moving footprint
  
  Authors Leif H. Cox, Glenn A. Wilson and Michael S. Zhdanov
- Notes On Rock Magnetization Characteristics In Applied Geophysical Studies
  
  Authors D. A. Clark and J. B. Emerson
More Less

Detecting buried human remains using near-surface geophysical instruments

Abstract

Most Read This Month

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed