Airborne Resistivity Mapping of Permafrost Near Fairbanks, Alaska

Airborne resistivity methods using radio waves in three frequency bands were tested in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska. The test sites were selected because much ground control is available for this area. The objectives of this study were to determine the ability of these methods to map permafrost...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hoekstra, P., Sellmann, P. V., Delaney, A. J.
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1974
Subjects:
Geology
Geochemistry and Mineralogy
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*PERMAFROST
*AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
*GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS
*SOIL SURVEYS
*ALASKA
SUBSURFACE
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE
TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
FAIRBANKS(ALASKA)
Fairbanks
Ice
permafrost
Alaska
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA000694
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA000694
Description
Summary:Airborne resistivity methods using radio waves in three frequency bands were tested in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska. The test sites were selected because much ground control is available for this area. The objectives of this study were to determine the ability of these methods to map permafrost and other soils and to investigate the advantages of multifrequency mapping. The airborne resistivity data obtained in this study were contoured and the contour maps were compared with surficial geological maps and other ground truth data available. The following conclusions were reached: (1) in areas where the near- surface sediments are relatively uniform, VLF resistivity best delineates permafrost; and (2) in areas where surface sediments vary widely (e.g., recent flood plains), resistivity at all frequencies gives little information on permafrost conditions, but provides other important information, such as bedrock type, depth to bedrock, soil type and layering.

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