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Glacier Drilling Hosts ‘Sweet’ Sonic Drilling Field Demo


The Glacier Drilling event was held at the Powder Ridge Ski Resort near Middlefield, CT, in mid October. The group responsible for offering the course was the EPOC (Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut), and was approved by the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for credits.                          Rigs on display (l to r): Geoprobe® 8040DT, an auger rig, and a Geoprobe® 8140LS Rotary Sonic, all owned by Glacier Drilling.

The Glacier Drilling event was held at the Powder Ridge Ski Resort near Middlefield, CT, in mid October. The group responsible for offering the course was the EPOC (Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut), and was approved by the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for credits. Rigs on display (l to r): Geoprobe® 8040DT, an auger rig, and a Geoprobe® 8140LS Rotary Sonic, all owned by Glacier Drilling.

Glacier Drilling, in Durham, CT, designed a “Sonic Drilling Overview and Field Demonstration” course last October for the Connecticut Licensed Environmental Professionals ( LEPs). The event consisted of an indoor presentation and discussion of the pros and cons of sonic drilling.

It was followed by a field demonstration using Glacier’s drilling equipment: an auger rig pulling 2-in. split spoon samples, a Geoprobe® 8040DT rig that sampled 5-ft. Macro-Core® soil samples, and a Geoprobe® 8140LS Rotary Sonic drill collecting both 4- and 6-in. soil cores as well as 4-in. samples of the underlying basalt bedrock. The larger diameter 6-in. cores clearly revealed exactly what was below the ground surface.

What sample string tells the best story?

All aspects from cost, speed obtained, and sample accuracy were discussed. The topics covered sonic safety, costs incurred, heat generated from dense soil drilling and how to minimize, sonic tooling options, and groundwater sampling. Mark Schock, Owner of Glacier Drilling and event moderator, also spoke about the advantages of drilling speed in all formations, minimized wastes generated, actions of vibrations transmitted to tool strings, head design, and why he chose Geoprobe® verses other sonic manufacturers.

Mark said the course was “in the works over five years. We held it at a small ski area that was in full fall foliage,” he said. “It was sweet!”

One attendee stated, “Mark did a good job explaining the pros and cons of the system. The audience was mostly senior-level people who might make decisions in using this tool if not previously exposed to it.” 

Glacier Drilling has been in business for 21 years, and offers a variety of subsurface tools for specific project requirements, including Geoprobe® machines of all sizes, from 420M to 8040DT to the 8140LS sonic rig.

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8140LS collects sonic drilling samples with full rotary capabilities

8140LS Sonic Drill Rig

Compact 8140LS sonic drill rig boasts full rotary capabilities with patented sonic head

Photo Gallery


The Glacier Drilling event was held at the Powder Ridge Ski Resort near Middlefield, CT, in mid October. The group responsible for offering the course was the EPOC (Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut), and was approved by the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for credits.                          Rigs on display (l to r): Geoprobe® 8040DT, an auger rig, and a Geoprobe® 8140LS Rotary Sonic, all owned by Glacier Drilling.
Soil samples collected by three Glacier Drilling rigs were on display next to each other so they could be examined and compared. Mark Schock, Owner of Glacier Drilling, reviewed the cost, sampling speed, and sample accuracy. Soils drilled were sandy fill followed by glacial till and bedrock.
Mark Schock, Owner of Glacier Drilling, designed and moderated a 4-hour course for the Connecticut Licensed Environmental Professionals (LEPs) in Middlefield, CT.
Glacier Team members Matthew Schock and Michael Also operate the 8040DT, one of Glacier Drilling’s rigs, to collect soil samples.