An Evaluation of Geophysical Survey Instruments for Detecting Unmarked Graves at the Mission Cemetery, Spalding, Idaho
Author(s): Robert K. Nickel
Year: 2000
Summary
In December 2000, a team working for the Midwest Archeological Center and Nez Perce National Historical Park evaluated the suitability of geophysical survey instruments for mapping the location of unmarked graves in the Mission Cemetery at Spalding, Idaho. A small grid was examined with a fluxgate magnetometer, a soil resistance meter, a conductivity meter, and a ground-penetrating radar unit. All but the conductivity meter detected positive anomalies in association with marked historic graves in the test grid. A more extensive use of the conductivity meter might also have yielded positive results. The ground-penetrating radar and magnetometer produced the best results, and additional work was accomplished with the ground-penetrating radar. Several graves that were not marked with stone monuments were confirmed, and the locations of these burial sites were recorded by personnel from Nez Perce National Historical Park. Selected areas outside the cemetery enclosure were examined to ensure that efforts to control pedestrian traffic would not impact graves.
Cite this Record
An Evaluation of Geophysical Survey Instruments for Detecting Unmarked Graves at the Mission Cemetery, Spalding, Idaho. Robert K. Nickel. 2000 ( tDAR id: 398835) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8VT1V6W
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Culture
Nez Perce
Site Name
Mission Cemetery
Site Type
Cemetery
•
Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
Investigation Types
Geophysical Survey
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Ground Disturbance Monitoring
General
Conductivity Meter
•
Fluxgate Magnetometer
•
Soil Resistance Meter
•
Unmarked Graves
Geographic Keywords
Idaho
•
Mission Cemetery
•
Nez Perce National Historical Park
•
Spalding
Temporal Keywords
Historic
Spatial Coverage
min long: -117.817; min lat: 41.509 ; max long: -110.566; max lat: 49.153 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Anne Vawser
Contributor(s): Robert K. Nickel
Collaborator(s): Nez Perce National Historic Park
Sponsor(s): Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service
File Information
Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
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MWAC-Report_Nickel_Geophysical-Survey-for-Graves-at-Mission-Ce... | 3.57mb | Jun 7, 2015 2:45:20 PM | Public |