Acoustic velocity profilometer for sediment cores

A system has been developed for attachment to sediment corers to obtain an in situ acoustic velocity profile during a coring operation. The system uses two electroacoustic transducers mounted in the cutting head of the corer and associated electronics circuitry to measure the travel time of an acoustic pulse traversing the diameter of the sediment core. Laboratory and field tests have been conducted and the results show that the system provides useful information. Acoustic velocity profiles were obtained in the Gulf of Mexico using a piston corer and in shallow coastal waters using a hand corer.