Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC

02/23/2026

Do you want to learn more about how the environment and our infrastructure can be impacted by karst, and what we can do to help mitigate it? Registration is now open for the 2026 Sinkhole Conference in Albany, New York, so make sure to sign-up for an opportunity to attend presentations, courses, and field trips related to karst! The conference is taking place October 5-9, 2026, and registration fees increase after June 12. Click here to register now!

https://secure.touchnet.com/C22533_ustores/web/store_cat.jsp?STOREID=13&CATID=75

10/08/2025

The National Cave & Karst Management Symposium is currently underway in Ely, Nevada. Swing by our booth to chat and hear more about what we do!

09/11/2025

https://www.npca.org/articles/10311-the-cave-doctor

When delicate cave formations are damaged, Carlsbad Caverns National Park calls on the fix-it skills of Michael Mansur and his growing legion of volunteers.

02/19/2025

I found this movie from the early 1950's about the Carlsbad potash mines rather interesting:

UP FROM THE BED OF A DESERT SEA tells the story of the New Mexico based potash mine run by the International Mineral and Chemical Corporation of Carlsbad (now...

02/12/2025

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjd4z9d2ymo

Authorities using drone cameras have yet to ascertain if the missing driver is inside the cabin.

09/06/2024

Cave and Karst Surveys – Make sure you’re dealing with a Qualified Professional!
Did you know that ASTM D8512-23 Standard Practice for Preliminary Karst Terrain Assessment for Site Development states that “personnel not having specialized training or experience in karst survey and assessment methods should solicit assistance from Qualified Professionals,” and defines a Qualified Professional in cave and karst studies as “individuals (such as engineers, soil scientists, geophysicists, geologists including engineering geologists or hydrogeologists), who have the appropriate experience and, if required by local regulations, have the applicable certification, licensure, or registration.”
Between the two senior geologists at Southwest Geophysical Consulting, we have over 55 years of experience conducting cave and karst studies all over the world and over 30 years of experience in southeast New Mexico and west Texas. We can provide the full suite of karst related studies from desk surveys and pedestrian field surveys to high-resolution aerial karst surveys, environmental karst surveys, karst feature investigations, traditional and 3D-lidar cave mapping, non-destructive geophysical surveys, borehole imaging, and karst monitoring services. We partner with experienced engineering geologists to conduct geotechnical investigations of anomalies located during geophysical surveys, hydrologists for water-related surveys (e.g. dye tracing), and cave biologists for biological inventories and studies.
Our principal geologist is a licensed Professional Geologist (PG) and Certified Professional Geologist (CPG), sits on the board of the Karst Waters Institute, and is a previous board member, Fellow, and Life Member of the National Speleological Society. Southwest Geophysical Consulting is a Veteran Owned Small Business (UEI: JRQXLK4MMW87) that SPECIALIZES in cave and karst studies, is fully licensed and insured, is approved by the Bureau of Land Management as a karst specialist vendor and has the appropriate experience, training, and knowledge to conduct your cave- and karst-related surveys.
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06/12/2024

Karst Waters Institute has just published a new book on Speleothems. Check it out!

2024.  From Karst Waters Institute.   By William B White, Daniel H Doctor and Srah K Carmichael. 38 pp.  INTRODUCING THE ULTIMATE FIELD GUIDE TO SPELEOTHEMS from the scientists of Karst Waters Institute. Almost anyone who ever took a cave tour learned the difference between stalactites and stalag...

05/23/2024

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/department-interior-safeguards-guadalupe-cave-resource-protection-area

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03/09/2024

Gypsum dissolution experiment. I was just curious to see how fast gypsum (CaSO4+2H2O) would dissolve in tap water. I measured two pieces roughly the same size and shape broken off of the same chunk of Castile Formation gypsum from Eddy County, New Mexico. Both were right around 11 grams (10.9 and 10.8 ). I then put one of the pieces in a bottle of tap water and put in the back of my Jeep (for agitation) for 5 days. At the end of the five days, the piece in the water had lost 10.5 grams! I knew gypsum dissolution was fast, but that surprised me.

03/04/2024

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is expanding their team of cave and karst professionals! If you or someone you know is interested in working in a cave/karst-related job, please reach out to us at [email protected] for full descriptions and associated education/experience requirements of the current openings. Opportunities include field technician, field geologist, geophysicist, and GIS specialist.