Whether you’re cleaning up a former industrial site or building a road, auger drilling provides crucial information about the subsurface of the site. With sufficient expertise and a proper selection of equipment, drilling experts can work through a variety of materials, from extremely dense rock to loose soil and fragile shale. Because soil conditions can vary so widely, each drill site may require very different equipment—even sites separated by only a few feet.

Soil Conditions & Auger Drilling Equipment Selection

When Augers Are Appropriate

While digger derricks and similar equipment may be suitable for digging shallower holes in loose soils, denser material and extensive boring typically call for auger drills. These machines are capable of digging holes up to 6 feet in diameter with a depth of 95 feet, with enough torque to cut through hard stone and other difficult material.

Choosing a Drill Tool

Manufacturers offer a variety of tools, each designed to cut through different materials. Most professionals start each job with an auger tool before switching to a more specialized drilling head more appropriate for the soil conditions. For instance, auger tools with wide spaces between the spirals are more effective at moving soft soil out of the hole, while tighter spirals are best for hard rock or tightly packed clay.

Using Specialized Tools

While the spirals of an auger tool are very effective at moving rock and debris, they’re not the best method for removing mud or very wet soil. In these instances, the operator will likely use a drill bucket—a device specifically designed to remove groundwater and mud. Hard, frozen ground or permafrost, which is very common in Alaska, can usually be drilled through with a spiral auger designed for rock.

Since their founding in 2002, GeoTek Alaska has become the state’s leader in geotechnical services, offering services ranging from well monitoring to auger drilling. They use only the most advanced equipment and techniques available, and pride themselves on minimizing the environmental impact of their activities. Visit their website for more on their auger drilling services, or call (907) 569-5900 to find out how they can help with your project.