Subsurface water-filled fracture detection by borehole radar: a case history

Borehole radar is a special mode of ground penetrating radar. It has several distinguished features from surface radar. For examples, by means of borehole access to deep regions below the surface, the radar sonde can be located relatively close to the anomalies or targets to be measured, this results in more precise targets response than surface measurement. The experimental site is located on the top of a granite hill west of Beijing, China. There are a group of boreholes intersected by many fractures. The measured single-hole reflection data are processed and interpreted. The radial detecting range is more than 30 meters at this site. The subsurface fracture distribution can be imaged very clearly. Many fractures can be "seen", and their distance from borehole and their dip angle can be determined. The azimuth determinations for these fractures are possible in some situations. It is concluded that the borehole radar is an effective tool for subsurface imaging.