October 13
| 1949 | The Engineering News-Record dated today includes an article on "Subsurface Road Conditions Revealed by Geophysical Methods" by BPR's F. W. Cron and R. Woodward Moore. "The science of geophysics," the article begins, "has provided the engineer and contractor with two new and extremely useful methods for exploring the subsurface. These are the refraction seismic test and the earth resistivity test." The techniques were developed for exploration at depths of hundreds of feet below the surface, but BPR adapted them so they can be used for construction of highways, dams, buildings, and other structures. The article describes how geophysical methods were used on a project to relocate Fighting Creek Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although used primarily to gain information for design, the techniques helped demonstrate how geophysical tests previously used only by research personnel could be applied in the field. The Physical Research Branch provided the equipment, and an engineer, but all other personnel came from the Division of Eastern Park and Forest Roads at Gatlinburg, TN. |
