Subsurface Radar Profiling Field Tests at Low-Level Nuclear Waste Burial Sites: Maxey Flats, Kentucky and Beatty, Nevada

摘要

A ground penetrating radar system has been evaluated in two field tests at Maxey Flats, Kentucky and Beatty, Nevada, the sites of low-level radioactive waste storage facilities. The locations of trenches, buried debris, and other subsurface disturbances were determined and the results were compared with data from other remote sensing and ground truth measurements. The radar system proved effective in determining trench parameters to a depth of 25', locating buried metallic barrels, and specifying anomalous areas; however, interpretation was often ambiguous and restricted to the subjective opinion of experts. Further research in the areas of characterization and systematic data processing is recommended.