Subsurface Exploration

Terracon has been in the exploration business since 1965.  With more than 200 drill rigs, we have the largest drilling fleet of any geotechnical engineering firm in the United States. Our exploration equipment includes drills, cone penetration testing, and direct push units of all sizes mounted on trucks, tracks, skids, buggies, and other all-terrain vehicles to access almost any site condition. We also own and maintain barges for overwater access. Our intrusive methods of exploration and sampling, include hollow stem augering, mud and air rotary, rock coring, and direct push techniques.  Specialized in-situ testing methods include: Cone Penetration Testing (CPT and SCPTu), downhole vane shear, dilatometer modulus testing, pressure meter testing, borehole shear, and packer testing.

Geophysical methods can also provide subsurface information in remote and inaccessible areas. When combined with traditional methods, site characterization of a project can be greatly improved. Our intrusive methods are complemented by non-intrusive geophysical methods. Our highly qualified geophysicists routinely work with a broad spectrum of clients to provide necessary geophysical information for the exploration, planning, design, locating, and evaluation of a wide variety of project sites.

We utilize Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), seismic refraction, electrical resistivity imaging, ground conductivity meters, down hole testing, and ultrasonic testing, among others. Some applications include: contaminated sites, vital infrastructure (pipelines, transportation, dams), geological characterization (sinkholes, landslides, bedrock topography), buried objects (utilities, storage tanks, debris), vibration monitoring, and deep foundation surveys.

Terracon is a leader in safe exploration practices and we take pride in a best-in-class safety rating in the exploration industry. Our internal training and safety programs have developed some of the safest exploration teams in the country. This is what IIF looks like at Terracon. We are a Gold Shovel Standard^® certified contractor and are constantly evaluating and evolving our practices to deliver on Safety, Quality, and Production.