Integrating Geophysical and Geotechnical Technologies for Improved Site Assessment of Ports and Harbours

By Dr Bob Whiteley

Population pressures, a new generation of larger vessels and the achievement of waterfront efficiencies with improved technologies is accelerating development in Australian ports and harbours. To more effectively support tender processes and marine civil construction this, in turn, has forced an evolution of site characterisation methodologies aimed at providing more accurate geotechnical models. Modern geotechnical practice for ports and harbours now includes a range of technologies, principally marine seismic reflection, underwater seismic refraction, targeted drilling and seismic tomographic imaging.