Geotechnics - Engineering Geophysics

The geotechnical objectives of applied geophysics often focus on construction projects, cavity investigations and mass movements. For construction projects above and below ground, a wide variety of soil and rock mechanics issues need to be clarified. The depth of overlying bedrock, the presence and spatial location of geological faults are examples of such issues. By the evaluation of seismic surface waves, by the so-called MASW method, soil mechanical parameters (shear modulus, etc.) can be indirectly inferred in the rock mass - i.e. in-situ.

Geophysical cavity exploration is very often associated with construction activities and derived from historical and water management issues.

So-called gravitational mass movements by falling, sliding, creeping and flowing are commonly called landslides. Here, geophysics can contribute to the visualization of the depth of the landslide base and thus in the volume estimation. Here, too, geophysical methods such as seismics (refraction and reflection) as well as geoelectrics, usually as a combination of methods, are applied in a targeted manner.