A procedure for mapping the depth to the texture contrast horizon of duplex soils in south-western Australia using ground penetrating radar, GPS and kriging

Abstract

A procedure for the rapid and accurate mapping of the depth to the texture contrast horizon of duplex soils was trialled. Data were collected using ground-penetrating radar with a 250 MHz antenna at 4 sites in the Esperance region of Western Australia. The contrast at the B horizon was identified using a ‘picking’ process similar to seismic surveys. The GPS data were integrated and depth to B horizon maps produced by kriging. The results were related to core data taken for sites and showed that GPR can provide accurate and detailed subsurface maps with ±0.1 m accuracy for B horizon depth. The influence of B horizon material composition on GPR response was also investigated using amplitude mapping. The spacing between GPR transects can affect map quality, particularly if the lateral variation in the B horizon depth is not adequately sampled by the line spacing selected. With further integration of the data collection and post-processing procedures, this would prove to be a useful tool for farmers and natural resource managers.

Geomorphological Dating of Pleistocene Conglomerates in Central Slovenia Based on Spatial Analyses of Dolines Using LiDAR and Ground Penetrating Radar

“…Another explanation for the irregular upper boundary of the Bt horizon can be attributed to the underlying dissolution features that are associated with karst processes in conglomerate basement [53]. However, this interpretation is unlikely because the reflector representing the Bt horizon is too smooth and continuous for its shape to be the consequence of the karstification processes under dolines.…”

“…Recently, many studies describe the application of GPR to investigate soil moisture/water content and to determine the extent and lateral variations of soil horizons and their properties [50][51][52][53][54][55]. Since the thickness of soil cover at the study area exceeds 5 m, knowledge of soils and soil properties is essential to understand the effectiveness of GPR.…”

Application of Ground Penetrating Radar Supported by Mineralogical-Geochemical Methods for Mapping Unroofed Cave Sediments

“…This indicates a wide range of potential uses for the GPR method in the last ten years [30][31][32][33][34]. GPR as a high-resolution geophysical technique has also been widely used in soil surveys to estimate taxonomic composition, to detect diagnostic soil horizons and evaluate their depth, to assess variations in soil properties, to determine soil water content and to determine subsurface flow pathways and water table [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. The most commonly used antennas for soil investigations regarding the soil condition and subsurface features are those with centre frequencies between 100 and 500 MHz or lower-frequency antennas if the soils cause high attenuation [43].…”

Geophysics and Wine in New Zealand

“…Depth to soil texture contrasts can be estimated using GPR (e.g. Simeoni et al, 2009), and our work suggests that EMI surveys can also yield information that can help estimate depths to horizons where soil texture changes significantly. For example, the area around the Target Gully study site was subject to sluicing activity for alluvial gold, and the distinct contrasts in the GPR and EMI surveys at roughly 5 m depth may indicate the depth of the deposited sediment during the late 1800s to early 1900s.…”

“…Kitchen et al, 1996;Doolittle et al, 2002;James et al, 2003;Hedley et al, 2004;Carroll & Oliver, 2005;Cockx et al, 2007;Bramley, 2009). The GPR surveys can be useful in measuring depth to soil textural changes (Simeoni et al, 2009). The EMI surveys are typically single-frequency and measure soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) values at one or two depths (e.g.…”