THERMAL MEASUREMENT OF SOILS USING A MULTINEEDLE PROBE WITH A PULSED-POINT SOURCE.

Interpretation of shallow temperature surveys conducted during exploration for shallow geothermal aquifers can be improved by incorporating thermal diffusivity measurements in the survey. A multineedle thermal probe can be used to obtain these measurements directly, using simple curve-matching analytical procedures. Errors caused by thermal gradients can be minimized by using a pulsed heat source, rather than a continuous heat source. The method has been tested successfully in the laboratory and is easily adaptable to field studies.