Forrest Kunkel '15 and Ryan Brumbaugh (Mundell & Associates) demonstrate electrical resistivity profile over Boone-Hutcheson Cave for GEOS 380: Environmental Geophysics class
November 17, 2017
Forrest Kunkel '15 and Ryan Brumbaugh, geophysicists with Mundell & Associates in Indianapolis, traveled to Putnam County on November 17 to demonstrate electrical resistivity profiling for the GEOS 380: Environmental Geophysics class. The goal for the project was three-fold: 1) to explain some of the basic concepts about electrical resistivity profiling to the students, 2) to give the students first-hand experience with laying out an electrical resistivity survey, and 3) to determine if the Boone-Hutcheson cave could be imaged on the profile.
Forrest and Ryan gave the class an excellent overview on the capabilities and limitations of electrical resistivity profiling and a detailed synopsis of how electrical resistivity surveys were conducted in the field to acquire data. Following this discussion, the class helped to set up two different traverses in the area and watched in real-time as data were acquired for the profiles. Final analysis of the second profile (above) suggests that an area of very high resistivity on the southern (right) part of the profile could be interpreted as a cave passage.
The Department of Geosciences is very grateful to Mundell & Associates and to Forrest and Ryan for donating their time and equipment for this wonderful hands-on learning experience for our students (it was also great to see Erin [Walsworth] Kunkel '15 too)! For additional information about this field workshop, go to http://mundellassociates.com/company-news/depauw-resistivity-demo/