
Electromagnetic (EM) conductivity surveying can be used to map geological variations, including
locating gravel and sand deposits, groundwater contaminants, pre-existing or former undocument
landfills or any subsurface features associated with changes in the ground conductivity. This
method uses an electromagnetic inductive technique that makes the measurements without electrodes
or direct ground contact. With this inductive method, surveys can be carried out under most
geological conditions including those of high surface resistivity such as sand, gravel and asphalt.
The effective depth of exploration ranges from a few feet to several tens of feet depending on

which instrument is utilized, making it ideal for many geotechnical and groundwater contaminant
surveys. Important advantages of EM over conventional resistivity methods are the speed with
which surveys can be conducted, the precision with which small changes in conductivity can be
measured and the continuous readout and data collection while traversing the survey area. Also,
EM surveying is particular usefull for producing plan view maps, while resistivity methods are
typically more advantageous for producing vertical cross sections. The EM method is also
especially useful for detecting shallow ore bodies and buried metal hazardous waste.