IMC Australia managing director Stewart Lewis said the Brisbane operation would initially target high-resolution imaging problems with methods such as ground penetrating radar (GPR).

Geophysicist Jan Francke from IMC’s Canadian operations will head the new team. Francke is a world-renowned specialist on challenging GPR applications, with project experience from six continents in environments ranging from Arctic Sweden to the Amazon jungle.

Along with GPR, IMC will introduce a full suite of geophysical methods, including seismic, electromagnetic, and magnetic tools.

“Using the approach of other IMC Geophysics teams, we will be stressing the importance of complementary methods. We are avoiding the model of small geophysical contractors who own one or two pieces of instrumentation and market these as panaceas to any subsurface imaging problem,” he said.

“The challenge will be overcoming the notion that geophysics is a project cost. For most applications, geophysics is a cost savings, either through the reduction of risk, the number of drill holes, or simply by providing foresight.”