What cannot be seen below the surface can present expensive planning, engineering and construction problems. The presence of shallow, dense rock can run up excavation and utility construction costs. To support land planning and civil engineering services, SEI has a degreed geologist on staff with extensive experience in construction, engineering, and subsurface investigation via seismic refraction.

By investigating the subsurface condition of a site during the initial phase, SEI helps clients determine project feasibility, position infrastructure and plan roadway and utility layout. In a second phase, they identify where the rock is on the site, how much rock will have to be removed, and where shallow dense rock lies in areas of excavation. By cross-referencing several seismic testing locations, supplemented by physical excavation in select locations, they ultimately provide the whole picture of the site underground by the use of seismic refraction along with test-pit excavation and/or drilling to map bedrock topography.

Knowing what lies beneath the surface allows the land planning and civil engineering designs to avoid rock – and, in turn, reduce clients’ development costs.