Geologists Detect Expansive Soils with Hyperspectral Sampling
August 1, 2003
Expansive soils are mixtures of soil and clay that dramatically expand and contract with water. Homes built on top of these deposits often suffer structural damage. Geologists now have a faster, cheaper way to detect expansive soils that might be in the ground, called hyperspectral sampling. Researchers shine a beam of light in the trenches. Different soil components absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light, revealing expansive soils.
