The Technologies included in the GeoSuite App

The GeoSuite App includes geophysical technologies that are targeted at groundwater exploration. These include:

  • Electro-Seismic Technologies – This geophysical method is used to locate water saturated, permeable aquifers and represents the primary method of locating aquifer systems.
  • Magneto-Telluric Resistivity Technologies – This geophysical method is used to help quantify a sites geological setting.
  • Magnetic Technologies – This geophysical method is used to locate and define any possible geological structures under a site that may influence the hydro-geology of a site.

Electro-Seismics

The primary technology used to power the GeoSuite App is Electro-Seismics. This technology is specifically designed to detect and delineate porous, water saturated, geological formations called aquifers. Aquifers are geological formations that allow water to move through and be stored within the subsurface.

When a seismic wave, such as one generated by a hammer strike to the ground, passes through an aquifer a conversion of seismic energy occurs which produces a small amount of electrical energy. This electrical energy travels to the surface, where it is recorded by the GeoSuite App via two steel rods inserted in the ground.

The recorded electrical signal contains information about the geological structures under the survey location as well as information as to the depth and hydrological characteristics of the aquifers under the site.

This data allows the GeoSuite App to determine if there is water under a specific location and if that water will be able to be extracted effectively should a well be drilled.

MagnetoTellurics

When energy from the sun make contact with the earth it causes variations in the Geo-magnetic field that surrounds the earth. These variations induce electrical currents to flow within the earth surface. These currents are called telluric currents.

When the frequencies of these telluric currents are low, they can penetrated thousands of meters into the earths subsurface. The higher the frequency of telluric current, the shallower the penetration into the earth will be. 

By measuring the amplitudes, phase and frequencies of these telluric currents we can determine apparent resistivity of the geological formations that they are flowing within. This is done in the GeoSuite App by recording the telluric currents using two steel pins inserted into the ground.

Magnetics

When the earth’s magnetic field passes through a ferrous geological structure such as a dolerite dyke of sill, the magnetic field is distorted.

This distortion, when measured, gives indications as to the shape and position of any ferrous geological formations. As certain geological structures are associated with groundwater supplies, knowing where these structures are can be useful to groundwater exploration.