Ground penetrating radar surveys to locate 1918 Spanish flu victims in permafrost
Davis, JL
Sensors & Software Inc., 1091 Brevik Place, Mississauga, Ontario, L4w 3R7, Canada

Heginbottom, JA
Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E8, Canada.

Annan, AP
Sensors & Software Inc., 1091 Brevik Place, Mississauga, Ontario, L4w 3R7, Canada

Daniels, RS
The National Institute for Medical Research, Virology Division, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.

Berdal, BP
University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine and Rikshospitalet, 0027 Oslo, Norway.

Bergan, T
University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine and Rikshospitalet, 0027 Oslo, Norway.

Duncan, KE
University of Windsor, Dept. of Geography, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada.

Lewin, PK
Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto M5G 1X8, Canada.

Oxdord, JS
Retroscreen Virology St. Bartholomew and and the Royal London School of Medicine Dentistry, 64 Turner St. London E1 2AD, UK.

Roberts, N
Roche Discovery Welwyn, Broadwater Rd., Welwyn Garden City, Herts., AL7 3Ay, UK.

Skehel, JJ
The National Institute for Medical Research, Virology Division, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.

Smith, CR
Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto M5G 1X8, Canada.


Abstract
The “Spanish Flu" killed over 40 million people worldwide in 1918. Archival records helped us identify seven men who died of influenza in 1918 and were interred in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, 1300 km from the North Pole. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used successfully, in a high-resolution field survey mode, to locate a large excavation with seven coffins, near the existing seven grave markers. The GPR indicated that the ground was disturbed to 2 m depth and was frozen below 1 m. Subsequent excavation showed that: a) the GPR located the position of the graves accurately, b) the coffins were buried less than 1 m deep, and c) that the frozen ground was 1.2 m deep where the coffins were located. The GPR assisted in planning the exhumation, safely and economically, under the high degree of containment required. Virologic and bacteriologic investigations on recovered tissues may give us an opportunity to isolate and identify the micro-organisms involved in the 1918 influenza and expand our knowledge on the pathogenesis of influenza.

Keywords:
1918 Spanish Flu, archaeology, forensic science, geophysical survey, ground penetrating radar, Longyearbyen, permafrost, Spanish Flu, Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Paper ID: JFS45100X68X

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Author Davis JL, Heginbottom JA, Annan AP, Daniels RS, Berdal BP, Bergan T, Duncan KE, Lewin PK, Oxdord JS, Roberts N, Skehel JJ, Smith CR Title Ground penetrating radar surveys to locate 1918 Spanish flu victims in permafrost Symposium , Committee on