The applications of geophysics are many and play a crucial role in understanding the subsurface environment for various purposes, ranging from resource exploration to environmental protection. The expertise of the professionals at ISC Geoscience contributes to advancements in these fields.

ISC Geoscience has experience in a wide range of applications:

Environmental Studies:

  • Locating and assessing contaminated sites.
  • Monitoring groundwater quality and flow.
  • Studying subsurface geological structures for environmental impact assessments.
  • Geophysical methods, such as electrical and electromagnetic surveys, GPR, and TDEM, are commonly used in environmental studies to map contaminants’ distribution and monitor the subsurface hydrology.

Oil and Gas Exploration:

  • Identifying potential oil and gas reserves.
  • Mapping subsurface structures to optimize drilling locations.
  • Monitoring reservoir characteristics and behavior.
  • Geophysical methods, such as seismic surveys, electromagnetic surveys, and gravity surveys, are commonly used in oil and gas exploration to locate and map the distribution of oil and gas reservoirs.

Mining Exploration:

  • Mapping mineral deposits and their characteristics.
  • Assess subsurface geology for resource exploration.
  • Detect and characterize ore bodies.
  • Geophysical methods, such as electrical and electromagnetic surveys, gravity and magnetic surveys, and seismic surveys, are commonly used in mineral exploration to locate mineral deposits and to define their extent, geometry, and characteristics.

Civil Engineering:

  • Evaluate the stability of foundations and infrastructure.
  • Detect subsurface voids or weaknesses.
  • Assess soil properties for construction projects.
  • Geophysical methods, such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic surveys, are commonly used in engineering and construction projects to map the subsurface and to assess structure conditions, such as bridges and buildings.

Water Resource Management:

  • Locating and mapping groundwater resources.
  • Studying aquifer properties and recharge zones.
  • Assessing the impact of human activities on water tables.

Archaeological Investigations:

  • Identify buried archaeological features without excavation.
  • Map ancient structures or buried artifacts.
  • Geophysical methods, such as GPR and magnetic surveys, are commonly used in archaeology to locate and map buried features and artifacts without excavation.

Infrastructure Inspection:

  • Assessing the condition of pipelines and tunnels.
  • Detecting potential issues in dams and levees.

Geotechnical Engineering:

  • Studying soil composition and properties.
  • Assessing slope stability and landslide risk.

Urban Planning:

  • Mapping subsurface utilities and infrastructure.
  • Assessing ground conditions for construction projects.

Agriculture:

  • Studying soil properties for optimal crop growth.
  • Mapping subsurface irrigation channels.

Natural Disaster Risk Assessment:

  • Assessing earthquake and landslide risks.
  • Studying volcanic activity and predicting eruptions.
  • Geophysical methods, such as seismic and gravity surveys, are commonly used to study natural hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions, to monitor and predict these events and assess their potential impact on human populations.

Architectural Heritage Preservation:

  • Assess the structural integrity of historic buildings.
  • Identifying potential risks to heritage sites.

Military and Defense:

  • Detecting underground structures and tunnels.
  • Assessing subsurface conditions for strategic planning.

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT):

  • Evaluating the integrity of structures without causing damage.

Climate change:

  • Geophysical methods, such as satellite remote sensing and gravity surveys, are commonly used in the study of climate change to monitor changes in the Earth’s surface and atmosphere and to assess the impact of these changes on the environment and human populations.
  • Beach Erosion

Orphaned Well Program:

  • Geophysical methods, such as UAV Magnetometer surveys are an excellent option for locating wells that have been orphaned so that the location can be safely transitioned to other uses.

Airfield Assessments:

  • Compass rose surveys
  • Pavement condition index (PCI)
  • Void detection
  • Rebar/dowel mapping
  • Vegetation mapping

Geologic Mapping:

  • This can mean mapping layer interfaces
  • Stratigraphy
  • Geomorphology
  • Structural geology
  • Depth to bedrock
  • Depth to the water table

Military Applications: detection/discrimination/classification

  • Unexploded ordnance (UXO)
  • Landmines
  • Improvised explosive devices (IED)

Civil Works Applications

  • Levees, dams, foundation assessment
  • Depth to bedrock
  • Depth to the water table

Geohazards

  • Sinkholes
  • Voids
  • Landslides

Leak Detection

  • Retention ponds
  • Rivers
  • Flat Roofs

Green Energy

Solar farms

  • Depth to bedrock
  • Depth to the water table
  • Grounding potential
  • Corrosion potential
  • Soil thermal properties
  • Solar panel functionality

Wind Farms

  • Depth to the water table
  • Depth to bedrock
  • Seismic site classification
  • Void detection
  • Soil strength mapping along heavy equipment paths
  • Grounding potential
  • Thermal soil properties
  • Utility detection

Saltwater Intrusion

  • Map saltwater/freshwater interface

Seismic site classification

  • Vs30 or Vs100

Tunnel and Void Detection

Infrastructure projects

  • Roads
  • Bridges
  • Tunnels

Railroad assessment

  • Ballast fouling
  • Tie quality
  • Rail quality