Case Studies

Saltwater Infiltration

In coastal areas, the influx of saltwater into shallow fresh water aquifers can have dire consequences on drinking water supply and create other environmental concerns. The results in this case study derive from an archeological survey in the UK. While searching for an ancient Roman road, a graphic demonstration of the impact of salinity change on GPR response was observed.

Geotechnical & Environmental

Geophysical surveys for
Faults and Sinkholes | Bedrock Depth | Soil Stratigraphy | Water table delineation | Bathymetry.

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.

Geotechnical Engineering
Hydrogeology

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.

Sinkholes/Karst
Stratigraphy, Soil Structure
Drainage Tiles
Mine Shaft Detection

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.

Water Table
Saltwater Infiltration
Bathymetry & Sub-Bottom Profiling
Moisture Content in Soil