Geophysical survey

Non-intrusive surveys that map the ground between boreholes: layers, rock head, groundwater, voids and buried utilities.

What it tells the engineer

Geophysical surveys read the ground between boreholes without digging. Resistivity imaging maps layers, groundwater and weak zones; seismic refraction and MASW give rock depth and stiffness; downhole and crosshole tests give wave velocities for design; GPR, magnetic and microgravity surveys find buried utilities, voids and cavities.

When it is used

Large or linear sites before drilling, limestone and karst areas, rock-head mapping for piling, groundwater searches, slope and dam investigation, and utility detection before excavation.

How a job runs

  1. 1

    Brief

    Your site, the structure and what the design needs to know.

  2. 2

    Plan

    Test locations, methods and the reporting you need.

  3. 3

    Fieldwork

    Testing, drilling and sampling on site by our field team.

  4. 4

    Report

    Logs, plots and test results for your engineer.

Typical outputs

  • Survey lines and station plans
  • 2D resistivity and velocity sections
  • Interpreted subsurface profiles
  • Survey report with recommendations

Questions

Can geophysics replace boreholes?

No. It fills the gaps between boreholes and shows where to drill. Boreholes confirm what the survey sees.

Tests in this family