Despite all the information we have on our planet today, there’s still plenty to learn about what lies beneath the surface. Fortunately, today’s geoscientists, such as those at GeoTek Alaska, are the professionals helping us uncover this data and make practical decisions about our environment.

Geoscientists do fascinating work—but how they can help drive communities and commerce forward is even more captivating. Whether you’re interested in hiring a geoscientist or becoming one yourself, here are four geophysical services they provide to help you understand how they are shaping the world of tomorrow:

• Electromagnetics: Using specialized frequencies, specialists can measure ground conductivity—or the level of electricity that the ground can facilitate. This can help geotechnical drilling contractors locate groundwater structural obstructions before drilling, as well as map out waste and test for groundwater contamination during well monitoring.
• Ground Penetrating Radar: Also known as GPR, ground penetrating radar is a quick and inexpensive method of gathering subsurface measurements. Professionals get data by sending electromagnetic pulses into shallow subsurface regions. This information can help organizations detect groundwater contamination as well as permafrost for climatology purposes. GPR is also a great way for engineers to learn how deep the bedrock is.  
• Magnetics: Similar to electromagnetics, this geophysical service measures smaller fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field. Geoscientists gather magnetics data using a tool known as a magnetometer, which is useful in locating mineral reserves and buried metal.
• Seismic Refraction: Using complex math and computer monitoring, scientists apply seismic refraction techniques to measure the velocities in different subsurface layers. This service is an advanced form of mapping out the composition and geography of bedrock, groundwater, soil, and other layers. It’s also used by archeologists to detect ancient landfill sites.