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Abstract

In this preliminary work a paleontological search method, based on the geophysical<br>methodology known as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), is described. GPR is a non-destructive<br>methodology and it uses, for the localisation of buried structures, short time duration<br>electromagnetic (EM) pulses lasting from about 1 ns to about 30 ns. Therefore it is characterised by<br>a wide frequencies band ranging from 10 MHz to some GHz. Such a methodology results to be<br>useful in the localisation of the EM discontinuities in the subsurface with high resolution. The<br>geophysical investigation was undertaken with the purpose of verifing the resolution capability of<br>the GPR technique for the location of paleontological finds with consequent saving in both<br>excavation time and costs. In this paper the results of some tests carried out on biomicrite samples<br>(with known position of the fossils) are reported.<br>The tests have been performed on three biomicrite samples:<br>! glauconitic biomicrite, which is a variety of the Pietra Leccese, with a fragment of<br>Cetotheride maxillary (Cetacea – Mysticete);<br>! biomicrite with cetacean vertebrae (Scaldiceto);<br>! normal biomicrite with part of Psephophorus Poligonus (Chelonide);<br>all the samples date from the Middle Upper Miocene.<br>Due to the samples thickness, it has been necessary to use antennae with frequencies of 1000<br>MHz and 1500 MHz, with particular attention on the data acquisition (parameters and geometries of<br>acquisition). The data were visualized in 3D space not only by the standard time slice technique, but<br>also by the iso-amplitude surface of the complex trace amplitude. The immediacy in revealing the<br>spatial position of highly reflecting bodies, such as the anomaly related to the fossil remains in the<br>tests on the samples, makes 3D visualization technique very attractive in paleontological<br>applications of GPR.<br>The results obtained from the different situations encountered in this work are very<br>interesting. The satisfactory performance of the GPR method in the paleontological research is<br>confirmed.

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/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609-pdb.190.pos03
2003-04-06
2024-03-28
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