New equipment gives university a sense of what's underground

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Southern Illinois University's Center for Archaeological Investigations has a new piece of equipment that can help give a picture of what's below the surface.

The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan (http://bit.ly/1U0tawv ) reports the center has obtained a $28,000 ground-penetrating radar unit.

The equipment is pushed like a lawnmower and has a type of remote-sensing technology to detect objects underground. The unit doesn't actually say what's underground but sends signals that require interpretation.

Center director Mark Wagner says the unit will be used as a teaching tool for anthropology students and for university research on historic sites.

Wagner says the university has secured two federal grants thanks to having the new equipment. One project is at the Hoosier National Forest, and the other is at the National Guard base in East St. Louis.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com