Environmental geophysical services can be an indispensable component to many types of environmental investigations. The non-invasive nature of environmental geophysical methodology is an important consideration when evaluating the financial cost to a project and physical risk to site personnel. Some typical reasons for considering a geophysical survey include:
The need for utility clearance/location of buried pipes, electrical or telephone lines to avoid damage during construction.
Suspicion of potential buried waste, but limited budget and concern about invasive methods (drilling, excavating). Most geophysical methods utilize non-invasive sensing tools at the surface. The depth of penetration varies depending on soil, but can be as much as 50 feet. The cost for a competent survey is very reasonable.
Need for a quick, unambiguous geophysical survey to eliminate the possibility of buried drums or tanks. Sometimes there is not enough time to wait for Phase I and Phase 2 Site Assessments. Geophysical surveys can be done in less than 1 week.
Need for better understanding of tank or abandoned well location, or extent of
buried structures or voids, and site stratigraphy, such as buried channels, in
order to direct drilling and excavating. Geophysics can locate buried objects
often to less than one meter.
FPM Geophysical & UXO Services typically uses at least two of
the following methods:
Electromagnetic
Electrical resistivity
Borehole geophysical logging
Seismic refraction & reflection
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
Potential field (e.g., magnetics or gravity)
Key Benefits
Low cost
Non-invasive
Identification of subsurface hazards
Accurate surveying and location of buried objects
Typical Objectives
Locate subsurface utilities
Determine depth to bedrock
Delineate landfill boundaries
Delineate contaminate plumes
Identify preferential contaminant pathways
Locate underground storage tanks and drums
|
Home