Developing new geophysical scanners for detection of near-surface buried objects

A new fusion of geophysical scanners is developed for detection of the near-surface buried objects, such as iron pipes, pieces of metal, and rocks. The new fusion was built up in a cart that integrates three kinds of geophysical instruments including an EM-61 metal detector, magnetometer, and OhmMapper. For the new system, we have innovate an electric control unit and adapted all the original connection cables to efficiently and simultaneously collect the electromagnetic field, magnetic intensity, and apparent resistivity on the surface of ground. We also modified and complement DOS-based computer programs to automatically measure the three kinds of data, record the surveying positions, and transfer the data from the system to a host computer for integration of the mapping images. The new system has been tested at a synthetic field site where five different objects are previously buried. The experimental results show successes in mapping these near-surface targets and prove that the new system archives saving surveying time, obtaining comprehensive data, reducing human interventions and number of human operators. It may become a new efficient and effective tool of geophysical exploration for detection of the near-surface buried objects.