Ground Penetrating Radar

Radar is the acronym for RAdio Detecting And Ranging. It is a system that uses the high frequency electromagnetic radiation. The Ground Penetrating Radar method has the same operation principle with the seismic reflection method. This geophysical technique is applicable to strata mapping in the cases of soils and rocks and depends on the different electrical properties that various materials have. The development of the method started mainly in 1956, but accelerated considerably after 1970 as a result of the tremendous progress that took place in electronics and computer technology after 1960. A high frequency electromagnetic radiation is transmitted in the ground and the reflected waves are recorded. The propagating electromagnetic energy in the ground depends on the subsoilŐs electrical properties, the conductivity and the dielectric constant. Basically the method depends on the record of the waves reflected on surfaces that divide regions with different electrical properties.