Geotechnical Drilling Prichard How Does Bedrock Affect a Project Involving Geotechnical Drilling?

Prichard, Alabama geotechnical drilling projects often involve drilling down into the bedrock, which is a solid layer of stone that underlies the soil and other softer material, also known as regolith. While many geotechnical drilling projects are relatively shallow, others involve deeper drilling projects that extend into the bedrock.

The nature, composition and depth of the bedrock can have a significant impact on your drilling project, including the total timeframe, the complexity of the drilling effort, and the types of drilling rig and drill bits that can be utilized and the cost of the drilling project. So let’s explore exactly how bedrock comes into play when drilling into the earth.

What’s Bedrock and How Does it Impact Geotechnical Drilling?

Prichard, Alabama geotechnical drilling projects may involve the bedrock, depending upon the depth of the drilling venture and even the precise location, as there are some regions where the bedrock is buried beneath 10 to 20 feet or more of soil and loose rock layers, while in other areas – particularly in mountainous regions – the bedrock may be exposed at the surface.

The depth of the bedrock is a major consideration because the complexity and the duration of the drilling operation will increase once you hit bedrock. It’s far faster and easier to drill through surface soil and regolith than it is to drill through solid stone.

In Prichard, which is located in Southern Alabama near Mobile, you’ll encounter lots of sandy soil with a high water content due to the many rivers running through the area, combined with the low elevation of this coastal region. For this reason, your geotechnical drilling operation may be intended to determine the depth of the bedrock at a particular location as large structures may need to anchor directly into the bedrock to ensure stability atop water-saturated, sandy soil.

Southern Alabama is dominated by sandstone and limestone bedrock. Limestone is relatively soft, while sandstone is a sedimentary rock that tends to have variable hardness that can range from fairly soft to quite hard.

Compare to other regions which have granite bedrock, which is one of the hardest stones on the planet. So this is a benefit if your project involves drilling into the bedrock, as progress will be faster than what you might see in the more mountainous northern regions of the state.

The composition, density, overall integrity and the depth of the bedrock will have a major impact on your geotechnical drilling project, affecting the type of drill rig and drill bits that can be utilized, along with the cost, complexity and timeframe of your project.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*