Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Steeples, D. W. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Near-surface geophysics

75 years of progress

University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA

Near-surface geophysics is applied to a broad spectrum of problems, and new application areas continue to arise. The noninvasive tools used to examine near-surface earth materials employ electrical, electromagnetic, or mechanical energy sources, along with passive techniques that measure the physical parameters of the earth. Most advances over the past 75 years have emerged from instrument evolution and computer-processing techniques. Societal needs, such as detecting unexploded ordnance following military operations, have driven research efforts. Other compelling factors, such as the need for potable groundwater, the enactment of laws that have spurred geophysical surveying for archaeological purposes, and the necessity for better soil-physics information in geotechnical engineering and agriculture, are present worldwide.