Repair, Evaluation, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation Research Program. A Survey of Engineering Geophysics Capability and Practice in the Corps of Engineers

A definition and brief overview of engineering geophysics are presented. A historical perspective of engineering geophysics practice and philosophy in general and in the Army Corps of Engineers is presented. The following factors are given as primary contributors to a dramatic increase in the scope and acceptance of engineering geophysics in recent years: a) an ever increasing number of practitioners of engineering geophysics have education and training in geophysics; b) inexpensive and increasingly sophisticated instrumentation and microcomputers make techniques and procedures possible which were previously impractical for engineering geophysics applications; c) emergence of a new class of high priority geotechnical problems include hazardous waste-site assessment, ground-water pollution, and military arsenal and range clearance and reclamation for which various geophysical methods are ideally suited. Results of a survey of engineering geophysics capability and practice in the Corps' Districts and Laboratories are presented and analyzed. The objective of the survey is to make available a convenient inventory of geophysical equipment and expertise to encourage interchange of equipment and expertise and to ultimately elevate the level of practice of engineering geophysics. Keywords: Borehole geophysics; Gravity; Microgravity; Reflection; Refraction; Resistivity; Seismic detection.