SELECTION OF SURFACE GEOPHYSICAL METHODS FOR COMMON APPLICATIONS

Adapted with permission, from ASTM D 6429 Standard Guide for Selecting Surface Geophysical Methods, copywright ASTM International
ASTM International, 100 Bar Harbor Drive, Conshohocken, PA 19428*

ELECTROMAGNETIC
SEISMIC
Application
Refraction
Natural Conditions
Soil/Unconsolidated Strata
A
Rock Strata
B
Depth to Bedrock
A
Depth to Water Table
A
Fractures and Fault Zones
B
Voids/Sinkholes
B
Soil and Rock Properties
A
Dam/Lagoon Leakage
-

ELECTRICAL

Frequency

Time

OTHER TECHNIQUES
Pipe/Cable

Metal

Reflection

D.C.

I.P./Complex

S.P.

Domain

Domain

VLF

Locator

Detector

Radar

Magnetics

Gravity

B
A
A
A
B
-

A
B
B
B
B
A
B

B
B
B
A
A
A
B

A
B
B
B
-

B
B
B
A
-

A
B
A
A
A
A
B

B
B
A
-

Inorganic Contaminants
Landfill
Saltwater Intrusion
Soil Salinity

A
A
A

A
A
A

A
A
-

B
B
-

B
B
-

Organic Contaminants
Light (Non-Aqueous) Phase Liquids
Dissolved
Dense (Non-Aqueous) Phase Liquids

B
-

B
-

B
-

B
-

Man Made Buried Objects

Utilities
Drums/USTs
UXO
Abandoned Wells
Landfill/Trench Boundaries
Forensics
Archaeological

B
B

B
B
B

B
A
B
A
A
A

B
-

A
A
A
B
B
-

B
A
B
B
B
-

A
A
A
A
A
A

A
A
A
B
A

A - Implies a primary choice of method

B - Implies a secondary choice or alternative method
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www.quality-geophysics.com

Prepared by Rick Hoover, Sr. Geophysicist

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