Abstract
Numerous archaeological sites dating to the greek-roman period have been found in the underground of the city of Catania (eastern Sicily, Italy). Their presence is a testimony of the several settlements that have followed in this area over time. In this work we have conducted electromagnetic surveys, consisting of ten georadar profiles, inside the church of “S. Agata alla Badia”, damaged during the earthquake occurred in eastern Sicily on 13 December 1990. The aim was to investigate the area where the church is located to obtain information useful for its structural recovery. Mechanical drillings were also carried out to reconstruct the local stratigraphy, which could be complicated by the presence of underground cavities and artefacts, as evidenced by recent excavations beneath the Catania Cathedral, in the nearby Piazza Duomo. From the interpretation of the GPR data, the presence of ancient masonry structures underlying the recent foundations was highlighted. In addition, the GPR survey allowed us to identify and locate reflective horizons in the subsurface, probably due to the presence of materials with different state of aggregation and/or to buried structures.
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Acknowledgments
This work was performed with the financial support of the University of Catania (PRA 2006, Scientific responsible: S. Imposa). The authors thank Dr. Milena Iozzia for helping with the English.
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Imposa, S., Barone, F., Gresta, S. et al. Ground penetrating radar survey finalized to the recovery of the “S. Agata alla Badia” church in Catania (eastern Sicily, Italy). Environ Geol 58, 889–896 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1564-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1564-x