Sinkhole Surveys
Sinkhole location is required around and under homes and buildings, roadways, train tracks, and airport runways that are subject to collapse. Sinkhole location surveys are conducted most often in karst limestone areas. However, sinkhole location may also be necessary in areas with soft soil or where mining or other subsurface disturbance activities have occurred.
Sinkhole location surveys can be conducted using geophysical survey methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and surface resistivity. The GPR and resistivity methods are non-destructive, and can locate sinkholes relatively quickly and effectively compared to probing or drilling methods.
Locating Sinkholes Using Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys
A ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey is typically conducted to locate a sinkhole or subsidence. A GPR survey can be conducted in homes and buildings, and on roadways, train tracks, and airport runways.
The GPR survey shows cross sectional information in pictorial form. The pictures and image below show how a sinkhole location survey is conducted and the results that can be obtained:
Locating Sinkholes Using Resistivity Surveys
Another field survey method typically conducted for locating sinkholes and subsidence is a resistivity survey. Resistivity surveys are conducted in areas that have clayey soils or that require deep depths of investigation up to about 50 to 100 meters (160 to 300 feet).
Equipment that is used for a surface resistivity survey is shown to the right.
The color image below presents a resistivity profile obtained using an automatic multi-electrode system to locate sinkholes in karstic limestone.
Other subsurface features, such as mines or other underground tunnels, can be located using the geophysical methods described above.
To have a sinkhole location survey conducted using ground penetrating radar or resistivity, contact:
e-mail:surveys@geophysicalsurveys.com
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