The ground holds an untold number of secrets. From ancestral burial sites to the remnants of million-year-old fossils, countless objects may reside buried where the naked eye cannot see them.
Ground-penetrating radar is one of the most advanced imaging techniques capable of seeing what resides beneath the soil. It can do so by utilizing numerous physical features to create an abstract image of what may be buried.
Let’s take a look at some of the incredible things that GPR can do.
1. Locating Burial Sites
Burial sites are among some of the trickiest things to find, as the people whom created them tend to have long since passed. Items like tombstones and other markers may have buckled with the erosion that accompanies the passing of time.
GPR can locate burial sites by looking for density changes. Items like coffins and bones produce a distinct difference in physical features, which in turn can locate sites that could represent everything from potential health hazards to major archaeological treasures.
2. Identifying Unmarked Utilities
While utility companies have become relatively adept at marking the lines they lay, property owners may not be as skilled in doing so. It is common to find electrical lines buried between, for example, a home and a garage in the back yard of a home.
These lines, while smaller than the main lines that deliver electricity from the utility company to a home, are still potential hazards. Breaking these lines can cause damage to any connected part of the electrical system.
By identifying these lines before excavation begins, it is possible to protect the property while preventing costly repairs.
3. Finding In-Ground Voids
Voids represent areas where the density in the ground drops significantly. This may represent underground caverns, areas of sewer plumbing, oil reservoirs, porous rock and numerous other potential features.
These voids represent potential dangers to any project. If, for example, a foundation beam is placed directly above a void, that void could shift and cause the entire foundation of a new building to fail any time following construction.
GPR can be used to obtain the information needed to plain around or correct in-ground voids.
To learn more about what ground-penetrating radar can do for your needs, contact Wood Inspection Services, Inc. We represent leaders in North Texas when it comes to using imaging technology to see underground.
You can contact us by using the form on our website or calling us at (972) 724-5550.