Ground Penetrating Radar Survey Inside the S. Agata Cathedral of Catania (Eastern Sicily)

Abstract

This article presents the results of a ground penetrating radar survey carried out in 2003 inside the S. Agata Cathedral of Catania (eastern Sicily). The aim was to reconstruct the subsurface conditions of the central nave floor to assess the load-bearing capacity of the vauable pavement in view of restoration interventions. Data was acquired with a multi-antenna array along a grid of transversal and longitudinal profiles, for a total length of approximately 700 m. Georadar images of the subsoil were used to locate anomalies probably associated with crypts, some of them unknown before the present study, and strengthening elements beneath the pavement. A three-dimensional model of the subsoil in a portion of the study area has been obtained from the interpretation of the ground penetrating radar images.

Keywords:

• non-destructive inspection
• ground penetrating radar (GPR)
• S. Agata Cathedral
• Catania
• Italy

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their thorough revision. They also thank Dr. Giuseppe Sciacca of the Superintendence of Environmental and Cultural Heritage of Catania for providing the plan of the S. Agata Cathedral. S. Imposa was supported by grants (PRA 2006) from the University of Catania.