EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

September 2005 Meeting


Monday, September 12, 2005
6:00 - 7:30 pm

Pellissippi State Technical Community College
10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville
Lamar Alexander Building
Room 223

SEPTEMBER PRESENTATION

Probing the Earth with Geophysics &ndash Do We Still Need Drilling Rigs?

David Watson
Manager
Field Research Center
Environmental Services Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
www.esd.ornl.gov/nabirfrc

Abstract

A variety of relatively new and innovative geophysical methods have been applied at DOE's Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation (NABIR) Field Research Center (FRC) to characterize lithology and a plume of groundwater contamination and to monitor geochemical changes as a result of subsurface manipulations. Geophysical methods used at the FRC include electrical resistivity tomography, seismic refraction tomography, inductive electromagnetic, azimuthal resistivity, electrical conductivity probing with a Geoprobe coupled with downhole gamma logging, spontaneous potential, ground penetrating radar, and borehole flowmeters. The use of these geophysical methods individually and together has proven to be a cost effective alternative to extensive drilling, coring, and well installation programs.


 

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