4 Near-Surface Geophysics and Geoarchaeology: Methods and Mapping

We invite abstracts that will highlight applied methodologies and mapping projects, including near-surface geophysics (e.g., GPR, resistivity, magnetometry), remote sensing (e.g., drones, LiDAR), or comparisons in GPS accuracy and precision (e.g., GNSS, N-Trip, RTK)

Monday, 9 March 2026
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
RCC, 106

Ground-Penetrating Radar Mapping of Historic African American Cemeteries in Western North Carolina

Paper number: 4-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

Authors

Abstract

The African American Gravesite Preservation Project at Western Carolina University has mapped over three hundred gravesites of African Americans at six historic cemeteries in western North Carolina. Interred within these cemeteries are individuals who directly experienced Slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Segregation, and the Civil Rights Era, yet their graves are often undocumented, neglected, or altogether forgotten.

Old Field Cemetery in Sylva, North Carolina is a historically segregated cemetery with burials dating to the 1850s. In recent years, nearly half of the African American section of the cemetery had become neglected and overgrown before being extensively cleared for an Eagle Scout project in 2024. As part of the 2025 Remembrance Project – a regional effort to protect and preserve African American cemeteries – a WCU team mapped 57 graves in the newly cleared area, 28 of which were previously unmarked and unknown.

Only 12 markers bear inscriptions in the entire African American section, and documentation efforts are ongoing. Mapping has utilized several non-invasive methods, including ground-penetrating radar, drone photography, sub-meter GPS, and simple archaeological survey. The individual graves have been marked, digitally mapped and photographed, and discreetly monumented to ensure easy location in the future. Finally, to raise public awareness of the African American contribution to the history of the Sylva community, a commemorative marker will be installed at the cemetery this spring.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411737

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