ASTM_D_6429_-_99_2011e1.pdf

Designation:D642999(Reapproved 2011)1Standard Guide forSelecting Surface Geophysical Methods1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D6429;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1NOTEEditorially revised Section 3 in July 2011.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers the selection of surface geophysicalmethods,as commonly applied to geologic,geotechnical,hydrologic,and environmental investigations(hereafter re-ferred to as site characterization),as well as forensic andarchaeological applications.This guide does not describe thespecific procedures for conducting geophysical surveys.Indi-vidual guides are being developed for each surface geophysicalmethod.1.2 Surface geophysical methods yield direct and indirectmeasurements of the physical properties of soil and rock andpore fluids,as well as buried objects.1.3 The geophysical methods presented in this guide areregularly used and have been proven effective for hydrologic,geologic,geotechnical,and hazardous waste site assessments.1.4 This guide provides an overview of applications forwhich surface geophysical methods are appropriate.It does notaddress the details of the theory underlying specific methods,field procedures,or interpretation of the data.Numerousreferences are included for that purpose and are considered anessential part of this guide.It is recommended that the user ofthis guide be familiar with the references cited(1-20)2and withGuides D420,D5730,D5753,D5777,and D6285,as well asPractices D5088,D5608,D6235,and Test Method G57.1.5 To obtain detailed information on specific geophysicalmethods,ASTM standards,other publications,and referencescited in this guide,should be consulted.1.6 The success of a geophysical survey is dependent uponmany factors.One of the most important factors is thecompetence of the person(s)responsible for planning,carryingout the survey,and interpreting the data.An understanding ofthe methods theory,field procedures,and interpretation alongwith an understanding of the site geology,is necessary tosuccessfully complete a survey.Personnel not having special-ized training or experience should be cautious about usinggeophysical methods and should solicit assistance from quali-fied practitioners.1.7 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as theguide.The values given in parentheses are for informationonly.1.8 This guide offers an organized collection of informationor a series of options and does not recommend a specificcourse of action.This document cannot replace education orexperience and should be used in conjunction with professionaljudgment.Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in allcircumstances.This ASTM standard is not intended to repre-sent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy ofa given professional service must be judged,nor should thisdocument be applied without consideration of a projects manyunique aspects.The word“Standard”in the title of thisdocument means only that the document has been approvedthrough the ASTM consensus process.1.9 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering Designand Construction Purposes(Withdrawn 2011)4D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD4428/D4428M Test Methods for Crosshole Seismic Test-ingD5088 Practice for Decontamination of Field EquipmentUsed at Waste Sites1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rockand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.01 on Surface and SubsurfaceCharacterization.Current edition approved July 1,2011.Published September 2011.Originallyapproved in 1999.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as D642999(2006).DOI:10.1520/D6429-99R11e1.2The boldface numbers given in parentheses refer to a list of references at theend of this standard.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.4The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 D5608 Practices for Decontamination of Field EquipmentUsed at Low Level Radioactive Waste SitesD5730 Guide for Site Characterization for EnvironmentalPurposes With Emphasis on Soil,Rock,the Vadose Zoneand Ground WaterD5753 Guide for Planning and Conducti