Geotechnical Drilling Pebble Creek What are the benifits of Geotechnical Drilling

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Pebble Creek is the site of many new developments, but it’s a region that’s also prone to sinkholes, which means that the area is a prime location for geotechnical drilling. Pebble Creek area developers and property owners may opt to pursue geotechnical drilling efforts as a method for evaluating the ground in a particular location.

What is the Purpose of Geotechnical Drilling?

Pebble Creek natives can use geotechnical drilling for a number of different projects. A geotechnical drilling service provider can provide lots of useful insight for property owners and developers, including:

  • the density of the underlying bedrock;
  • the ground composition and the thickness of the various layers of earth;
  • the moisture content of the ground;
  • the integrity and overall quality of the underlying stone; and
  • Identifying the location of underground cavities.

Underground cavities can form in areas with limestone bedrock. This is because the limestone is a relatively soft stone that can dissolve when exposed to acids, even mild acids from acid rain or groundwater that percolates through the earth. Over time, the stone dissolves and erodes, resulting in a large void that can eventually collapse. The result is a sinkhole, which can swallow an entire city block in a matter of mere seconds.

In a location that’s seeing ground shifts and buildings are exhibiting signs of sinking and other movement (such as cracks in the foundation, stucco and concrete blocks that comprise a building), geotechnical drilling crews may be called in to investigate.  If a site is determined to be prone to sinkholes, existing buildings can be reinforced using metal rods that are affixed to the foundation at one end and driven into the bedrock at the other end. A drilling crew can also penetrate the cavity, which may then be filled with cement to reinforce the void and reduce the risk of a future collapse.

Sinkholes aside, large structures require stable ground and good quality bedrock. So developers may call in geotechnical drilling crews to extract core samples for analysis of the site. A core sample is a vertical column of earth that is extracted inside a large “tube” and sent out for analysis at a laboratory. The lab technicians will evaluate the composition, density, moisture content, the depth of the bedrock, and the overall quality of the bedrock and overlaying layers.

Based on the findings from the geotechnical drilling, Pebble Creek developers and property owners can develop plans for a safe structure that will remain standing for many decades to come.

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