Equipment Available for Loan

The NERC GEF maintains a pool of state-of-the-art geophysical equipment for loan to UK based researchers. Listed below is our selection of surveying equipment suitable for land-based research projects (for marine projects please see the instruments available through OBIF). Our instruments are extensively used by both experienced fieldworkers and novice PhD students to gather valuable geophysical data.

Follow the links to each equipment type to view further details and schedules of availability.

GNSS Receivers

We have GNSS receivers capable of positioning accuracies of a few millimetres for precision geodetic surveying. Full Real-time Kinematic (RTK) capability is also included with all required accessories such as radios, backpacks and poles supplied. Longer term static monitoring is also possible, with either our solar panels and regulators or your own.

Ground Penetrating Radar

Our GPR covers frequencies from 25MHz up to 1GHz for targeting a wide range of ground conditions and penetration depths. The newest Pulse Ekko PRO integrates with our GNSS receivers to record real-time positions synchronised to each radar scan.

Terrestrial Laser Scanning

The GEF has two terrestrial laser scanners, one short range high speed TLS capable of scanning 500,000 points/sec and a range of around 50m. The second is a longer range scanner capable of up to 1.4km, again at high speed. Targets are supplied for accurate merging of multiple scans and can be used in combination with our GNSS for precise positioning within the landscape. Software is supplied on a laptop for initial processing of the resulting point-cloud data.

EM Induction Systems

Our PROTEM time-domain electromagnetic system (TDEM) is suitable for a wide range of shallow investigative projects such as water table detection, fault mapping and contaminant plume location. We have a 3-D receiver coil and a choice of transmitter coils to suit various ground conditions and depth requirements.

Our new Ultra-wideband Magnetelluric (UMT) systems from Phoenix Geophysics allow much deeper resistivity measurements of the earth for crustal studies.

Seismic Systems

We have a wide range of seismometers, from broadband to high-frequency, coupled to external recorders and suitable for all aspects of seismological research. Solar panels and regulators are also available, together with all necessary field IT equipment for deployment and servicing.