In The Field: Log 002
February was relentless. Snow on snow on snow! Many jobs were postponed, but others pushed on through the cold, wet, occasionally crusty conditions. The month started in Jersey City, NJ investigating abandoned lots for subsurface anomalies. I was able to identify a few interesting buried features - and the backdrop wasn’t bad either.
We go where the work is. That’s the life of a geologist. We study the earth… which means driving all over it.
On my way home from Jersey City, I hit unusually heavy traffic just outside Newark Airport. The culprit? A truck wedged beneath an overpass! Through all my years of driving, this is something I’ve never seen in person. Thankfully no sign of serious injuries.
They should have ducked!
One day outside of New York City, the next just outside of Philadelphia.
In Camden, NJ I assisted on a site slated to become a healthcare facility. The former industrial property had been leveled, and under fresh snow it looked almost peaceful — which isn’t always the first word that comes to mind for Camden.
We were looking for buried utilities associated with the old structure ahead of the drilling work. Some remaining building foundations looked remarkably like bedrock outcrops. Naturally, I got my pen out for scale and documented the “Camden Formation”.
The following week in Philly, I was scanning a concrete parking lot to locate hot water heating lines within the slab. Our hand-held ground penetrating radar unit was perfect for the job! We were able to clearly identify both the heating lines and rebar reinforcement. The technology we get to use in this field is very cool. You never know what the instruments may reveal at the next job site.
Next stop: Atlantic City.
No slot machines for me, but I did take my chances in a slightly dicey alleyway. I was tasked with locating buried utilities within the alley. Gas, electric, water, and sanitary sewer lines were all present - all the modern conveniences we use every day but rarely think about because it’s out of sight.
A few days later I found myself at a small regional airport in Woodbine, NJ. This is where many of those banner-towing planes you see over the Jersey shore take off. I’ve worked at JFK and LaGuardia before, but even the small ones are fun. I couldn’t resist taking a selfie on the taxiway.
Even better - I grew up about 10 minutes from this site. My parents and siblings still live in the area and a few stopped by to say hello while I was working.
Most recently, I was in Rumson, NJ about an hour and a half north of Woodbine. We surveyed an open field where historic aerials showed structures had previously stood. The client wanted to know if any anything remained below the ground - foundations, septic tanks, etc.
We used the EM31 terrain conductivity meter linked to a GPS antenna, and walked back and forth across the property like mowing a lawn. It produces a contour map of the high and low responses across the investigation area.
We didn’t find any significant anomalies, but finding nothing is still good data. My colleague Corey led the project. I made him pose for a photo. Say cheese!
I’ll close this one out with a few moments outside of work.
First, a Hermit Thrush spotted on a family hike. It’s a little early in the season, so pretty exciting to spot!
And finally, home after the blizzard: downed trees, nearly 2 feet of snow, and no power for 12 hours. After the shoveling was done, I took the drone up for a look at the neighborhood. Fun times in February.
