Natural Geologic and Hydrogeology Condition
In areas with poorly constrained geology, geophysics can be used to gather valuable information. Underground flaws like natural voids, fractures and faults or sedimentary structures can cause significant problems if they remain undetected. In infrastructure development projects, good knowledge of geological and hydro-geological features can help in planning correctly the project development and reducing costs.
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In the case of quarries and gravel pits, surveys bring valuable information for estimating existing reserves and help in future development of the exploitation site.
Geophysics has proven its applicability in projects related to exploiting and distribution of drinking water. Through a thorough investigation and correlated with direct information data, geophysics can influence decisions about positioning and execution of exploitation boreholes. Aquifer characteristics like flow direction and speed, salinity and delineation, can be determined with a high accuracy factor. For this kind of projects the operator depends in a large amount on the geological structure, the direct information about the aquifer and on the access to the aquifer.
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Methods like electromagnetic mapping, electromagnetic profiling, Electrical Tomography, Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES); seismic refraction and seismic reflection are used to asses near surface geology and map areas of interest. Stratigraphy, depth to bedrock, presence of voids and hydro geological assessments are all common applications of geophysical techniques.
