Ground-Penetrating radar
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) provides a high resolution, cross-sectional image of the shallow subsurface. This non-intrusive method uses a short pulse of electromagnetic energy that is radiated downward. When this pulse strikes an interface between layers of material with different electrical properties, part of the wave reflects back, and the remaining energy continues to the next interface. Depth measurements to interfaces are determined from travel time of the reflected pulse and the velocity of the radar signal.
Applications of GPR:
- Mapping depth and location of drums, storage tanks, and utilities
- Imaging man-made subsurface structures
- Delineating disposal pits, trenches, and landfill boundaries
- Locating voids/washouts along pipelines, under roadways, parking lots, and building floors Screening proposed borehole locations for subsurface interference
- Mapping water table and bedrock topography
- Delineating inorganic and organic contamination plumes
- Mapping stratigraphic layers
- Evaluating mine and quarry rock
- Investigating archaeological sites and cemeteries
