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Related Experiment Videos

Burial location using cheap and reliable quantitative probe measurements.

Alastair Ruffell1

  • 1School of Geography, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, UK. a.ruffell@qub.ac.uk

Forensic Science International
|June 9, 2005
PubMed
Summary

A new weight gauge probe system offers operator-independent soil density measurements for locating buried disturbances. This soil density probe successfully identified a buried fiber optic cable trench in an urban setting.

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Archaeological Prospection

Background:

  • Traditional methods for locating subsurface disturbances can be operator-dependent and lack objective verification.
  • Geophysical techniques may be challenging in complex urban environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and evaluate a novel weight gauge probe system for objective soil density measurement.
  • To assess the system's efficacy in detecting buried features, such as utility trenches.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a weight gauge attached to a standard probe to measure insertion pressure, correlating with soil density.
  • Conducting iterative reconnaissance surveys to optimize probe length and gauge type for sensitivity.
  • Applying the system in an urban test case to locate a 3-year-old fiber optic cable trench.

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Main Results:

  • The weight gauge provided digital data for verification and analysis of soil density variations.
  • The system successfully located a 50 cm-wide fiber optic cable trench.
  • On-site contouring of digital output in one hour allowed for the ascertainment of the trench's original form.

Conclusions:

  • The weight gauge probe system demonstrates potential for objective detection of subsurface disturbances.
  • Further validation through parallel measurements and comparison with geophysical methods is recommended.
  • The technique's applicability in legal contexts requires further assessment.