High-tech radar and laser scans uncover hidden military traverse on Alcatraz Island Archaeologist from Binghamton University published his findings in January Timothy de Smet used radar and lasers to scan beneath old Alcatraz rec yard Discovered old military earthworks from when island was used as a base Traverses were part of trench fortifications used to escape an enfilade By Keith Griffith For Dailymail.com Published: 19:33 GMT, 1 March 2019 | Updated: 19:33 GMT, 1 March 2019 Viewcomments High-tech laser and radar scans have uncovered a buried military traverse underneath Alcatraz penitentiary. Archaeologist Timothy de Smet of Binghamton University used advanced scanning technology to discover the buried earthworks on the San Francisco island, publishing his findings in January. Though Alcatraz is well-known as the former federal prison that housed notorious killers and gangsters, but before that it was a U.S. military installation. President Millard Fillmore first designated the island for military use in 1850, and the installation became a fort and later a military prison that held POWs in the Civil War. Archaeologist Timothy de Smet of Binghamton University uses advanced scanning technology to discover the buried earthworks on the San Francisco island A sketch of Alcatraz Island shows its early days as a U.S. military installation After the island was transferred to the Bureau of Prisons in 1933, little was thought to remain of the original military fortifications. But using his scanning technology, de Smet discovered the remnants of underground structures, including a 'bombproof' earthwork traverse along with its underlying vaulted brick masonry tunnel and ventilation ducts, running east to west beneath the recreation yard. A traverse is a form of earthworks used in trench warfare, running perpendicular to the main trench and used both for accessing the trench and escaping enfilading fire. 'I was surprised for several reasons,' de Smet told the Binghamton U News. 'The remains of these historical archaeology features were just a few centimeters beneath the surface and they were miraculously and impeccably preserved.' 'The concrete veneer of the Recreation Yard floor is incredibly thin and, in fact, in places sitting directly atop the architecture from the 1860s,' he continued. Alcatraz is seen in 1946, 13 years after the Bureau of Prisons took control of the island Alcatraz is seen in its modern incarnation last year. The island is a tourist attraction for many in the San Francisco Bay 'We also learned that some of the earthwork traverses were covered over with thin concrete layers through time, likely to decrease erosion on the rainy windy island. It was wonderful to find the history just beneath our feet that we can visualize for the public,' de Smet said. De Smet hopes the expedition can serve as a powerful proof-of-concept for his scanning technology, which he believes can be used to explore archaeological sites without disrupting them through excavation. With modern remote sensing methods like these, we can answer fundamental archaeological research questions about human behavior, social organization and cultural change through time without costly and destructive excavation, thereby preserving these non-renewable archaeological resources in the ground - or in situ as we say in the field - for future generations,' he said. 'These results are significant in that they show how modern technology can be used to answer fundamental questions of archaeological importance without any destructive excavations.' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility