Lessons Learned in a Consulting Career Using Near-Surface Geophysics

John Mundell, President of Mundell & Associates was happy to be part of an invited national panel today on “The Past and Future of Near-Surface Geophysics” at the 33rd Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP 2021).

John shared 5 of the lessons he has learned in applying geophysics during a 40+ year career as an earth scientist and environmental engineer. Above all – subsurface characterization is an exciting adventure!

1. Subsurface exploration is exciting and fun….when you find something of value! When you don’t (and miss it)….it sucks!
2. The odds of finding buried features is low when the sampling locations are widely spaced, and the targets are small compared to the sample separation distances. It’s simply about probability!
3. Even when you’ve collected good data from the field and have done everything right, if you are unable to communicate that data in a way that is convincing, people will not believe what you did has value. You have to make your results look believable!
4. Believable results come in many forms: accurate data, high density data, selection of color schemes/contour intervals, annotations and labeling, various viewpoints and orientations, removal of extraneous information.
5. When properly performed and displayed, geophysical results provide an unparalleled enhancement to conceptual site models that allow for improved understanding and better decision‐making.

Along the way John and everyone at Mundell & Associates have encountered many dedicated geophysical colleagues – we thank you for your commitment to caring for the earth and beyond!