oa Detection Of Subsurface Hydrocarbons In The Vadose Zone With Ground Penetrating Radar - A Case Study

Over the past 10 years numerous investigators have attempted to detect subsurface hydrocarbons with various geophysical methods and techniques. These investigations have met with a<br>range of successes and failures. It has not been clearly understood why a particular geophysical survey is either successful or unsuccessful in a particular geologic setting. This paper will provide a detailed review of a particular survey which was performed in a carbonate environment in the southeastern United States. While the main objective of the survey was not to detect and delineate hydrocarbons, this particular survey appears to have detected hydrocarbons within the vadose portion of the subsurface. In several areas of the survey, monitoring wells revealed no floating product within the wells. Nevertheless, the analysis of the GPR data indicated an effect from hydrocarbons detected by other investigators. A correlation between the presence of hydrocarbon vapors and analysis of the GPR was made and will be discussed, with a possible explanation for this apparent cause and effect given.