Engineered development and assessment of groundwater conditions demand solid definition of subsurface conditions. GPR's ability to define geologic strata and detect anomalous geologic structure makes it a regular tool in the engineering geophysicist's arsenal of methods. In addition, GPR is one the few methods that is directly sensitive to the water content and chemistry. Applications range from route selection for roads, railway and pipelines to karst evaluation to contaminant plume mapping.
Geotechnical Engineering
Hydrogeology
Environmental Site Assessment
Geotechnical Engineering
GPR’s ability to provide high resolution subsurface geological structure leads to widespread geotechnical uses of GPR. Applications are wide ranging such as determination of bedrock depth, definition of soil stratigraphy, identification of karstic features, and location of buried groundwater channels.
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Sinkholes/Karst |
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Stratigraphy, Soil Structure |
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Drainage Tiles |
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Old Mine Shaft Detection |
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Hydrogeology
GPR's sensitivity to soil water content and geologic structure make it a natural method for hydrogeology investigations. From delineating water table, to stream and river bed structure, to borehole monitoring of contaminant flow, the spectrum of GPR uses is broad and varied.
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Soil Water Content |
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Bathymetry & Sub-Bottom Profilling |
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Water Table |
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Saltwater Infiltration |
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Environmental Site Assessment
Assessing conditions on and around brown field sites is an area of that sees substantial GPR usage. Applications range from locating buried infrastructure such as barrels, pipes and old foundations though locating changes in soil fill conditions to detection of contaminant plumes.
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Underground Storage Tanks |
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Septic Systems |
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Contaminant Delineation |
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Contaminant Remediation |
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