Soil Sampling Fundamentals: Methods, Tools, and When to Use Them

Collecting high quality soil samples requires more than knowing how a tool works — it requires understanding why each drilling and sampling method is chosen, what it can (and can’t) deliver, and how subsurface conditions shape decision making in the field.

In this introductory session, you'll get a practical, field ready overview of the four most common drilling and sampling technologies used in environmental investigations:

• Direct Push Technology (DPT)
• Hollow Stem Auger
• Sonic Drilling
• Rotary Drilling

Rather than focusing on equipment mechanics, this webinar highlights the applications, advantages, and limitations of each method. You’ll learn how depth, geology, formation behavior, and access constraints influence technology selection and what tradeoffs exist around sample quality, disturbance, cost, and efficiency.

Attendees will walk away with a stronger understanding of how drilling and sampling teams work together to manage field risks and deliver defensible results. During this session, you will be able to submit your project-specific challenges for our panel to address in the next segment of this series.