Abstract
We present a technique for the detection of vertebrate skeletons and other very thin features buried at shallow depths through the use of a ground penetrating radar (GPR). The technique is based on the acquisition of high-resolution data by medium-to-high frequency GPR antennas. The obtained radar profiles are analyzed by a new forward modelling method that is applied on a set of representative traces. This approach allows to build reflectivity plots of the survey area, which include all the relevant information about the buried structures. In particular, it is possible to individuate specific sequences of reflectivity peaks that provide the signature of selected targets. An interesting application of the method to paleontological research was carried out by investigating a small area at the top of Cerro Los Quesos, one of the most fossiliferous localities in the Ica Desert of Peru. Here we acquired GPR data at the location of a partially buried fossil skeleton of a large whale and analyzed the reflections associated with the bones by the new technique, determining the possible signature of vertebrae, ribs, cranium (including the rostrum), and mandibles. Our results show that the technique is effective in the detection of tiny features, even below the classical (Ricker and Rayleigh) estimates of the vertical resolution of the antenna in civil engineering and forensic applications.