Bistatic sounding of the deep subsurface with a Ground Penetrating Radar – Experimental validation

Abstract

Electromagnetic Investigation of the Sub-Surface (EISS) is a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) operating at very low frequencies in the HF range (2–4MHz) that was designed to investigate the composition and structure of the Martian subsurface to depths of ~1km. EISS can operate in both a monostatic and bistatic configuration, the latter being made possible by the simultaneous operation of two separate instrument platforms. The first, a fixed lander, utilizes one surface-deployed dipole antenna made of two 35m-long resistively-loaded monopoles to transmit radar pulses into the subsurface. Echoes from subsurface reflectors are then received by either similar electrical receiving antennas (on the lander) or by a much smaller magnetic sensor that can be mounted either on the lander or on a mobile platform, such as a rover.In this paper, we report on the successful test of EISS bistatic mode of operation during a field campaign in the West Egyptian desert. From the analysis of the measured propagation delays, the dielectric constant and the depth of several reflecting subsurface interfaces were retrieved. Up to 226 coherent additions (or stacking) were performed resulting in the detection of buried interfaces and in particular of the Nubian Aquifer at a depth >200m. The results obtained with the small magnetic sensor were consistent with those obtained with the electrical antennas, suggesting that such an experiment can meet the constraints of a space mission.