What terratec Geophysical Services does

terratec Geophysical Services GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German geophysical services company founded in 1989 and headquartered in Heitersheim, Germany. The firm provides surface and borehole geophysical survey services across four vertical markets: mining and mineral exploration, groundwater prospecting, geotechnical investigations, and geothermal energy. Its service portfolio spans the full data lifecycle from acquisition through processing and interpretation, including electromagnetic, geoelectric, geomagnetic, gravity, and radiometric surface methods, as well as borehole logging to depths of 2,000 meters and off-hole anomaly detection beyond 200 meters.

The company's underlying technology stack includes the proprietary G2D-EM semi-airborne electromagnetic method enabling exploration depths of up to 1 km, the first fully EASA-certified heliborne magnetic nose boom system in Europe (developed through the GREENPEG project), and a comprehensive borehole logging suite covering optical/acoustic scanners, spectral gamma, sonic, and electromagnetic probes. The firm employs approximately 35 geophysicists and geologists fluent in multiple languages, with operational experience spanning from Greenland to South Africa, and is specifically adapted to harsh and remote environments.

terratec generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts, with direct sales from owned subsidiaries in Germany, Bulgaria, Mali, and Namibia, supplemented by partner and representative channels including GSG Namibia (Southern Africa), terrascan Austria, and Ab Scandinavian GeoPool (Nordics). The firm has participated in multiple EU-funded research consortia (DESMEX, DESMEX II, HiTech AlkCarb, GREENPEG, SeeKaquA), and recently spun off a dedicated airborne geophysics subsidiary called terrascan airborne. Legal ownership is held through a GmbH & Co. KG structure with managing directors Klaus Brauch and Dr. Dietmar Kopp.

Name

terratec Geophysical Services

Legal name

terratec Geophysical Services GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://terratec-geoservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

terratec Geophysical Services is a German geophysical services firm founded in 1989, providing surface and borehole survey work for mining, groundwater, geotechnical, and geothermal clients across 35+ countries using proprietary semi-airborne electromagnetic and heliborne magnetic technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical Survey Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

akta.pro primary industry

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geothermal Resource Exploration & Assessment (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry) (EUAMAEAA), Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG), Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Geophysical surveying
• Borehole logging
• Mineral exploration
• Groundwater exploration
• Geotechnical investigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Heitersheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Geophysical Survey Services: Project-based professional services for acquisition, compilation, processing, analysis and interpretation of geophysical data. Services provided across mining exploration, groundwater prospecting, geotechnical investigations, and geothermal applications. Revenue generated through direct project contracts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

terratec Geophysical Services delivers surface geophysical surveys and borehole logging services for resource exploration and subsurface characterization projects. The firm supports clients in mining, groundwater, geotechnics, and geothermal sectors with field-acquired data interpreted by in-house geophysicists and geologists. Operations are run internationally from offices in Germany, Bulgaria, Mali, and Namibia, deploying proprietary airborne, ground, and downhole instrumentation.

Product overview

terratec Geophysical Services is a geophysical services company founded in 1989, operating internationally with offices in Germany, Bulgaria, Mali, and Namibia. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of surface and borehole geophysical survey services and technologies for mining, groundwater, geotechnics, and geothermal applications. The core product portfolio includes Borehole Logging Services (with optical/acoustic scanners, spectral gamma, and various downhole measurements) and Surface Geophysics Services encompassing Geoelectrics, Geomagnetics, Electromagnetics, Gravity, and Radiometrics. Supporting technologies include Off-Hole Anomaly Detection, Airborne Gyophysics (EASA-certified heliborne nose boom system), and G2D-EM semi-airborne electromagnetics. The company also participates in EU-funded research initiatives including GREENPEG, DESMEX, HiTech AlkCarb, and SeeKaquA projects. Services are delivered across four vertical markets: Mining, Groundwater, Geotechnics, and Geothermal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surface Geophysical Surveys
• Borehole Logging Services
• G2D-EM Semi-Airborne Electromagnetic Surveying
• Heliborne Magnetic Surveying

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GSG NamibiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGSG Namibia is the partner company of terratec specializing in surface geophysics throughout Southern Africa. Gregory Symons serves as contact person at the Windhoek office. They provide local surface geophysical services and support for terratec operations in the Southern African region.
• terrascan AustriacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company in Austria led by Michaela Grubinger, providing geophysical services and support for terratec operations in Austria and surrounding regions. Located in Obertrum, Austria.
• GeoPool (Ab Scandinavian GeoPool Ltd)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeoPool serves as Nordic representative for terratec, covering Nordic countries including Sweden and Finland. Mathias Forss is Managing Director at their Gammelstad office. Provides local representation and support for Nordic operations.
• Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in the SeeKaquA project for semi-airborne electromagnetic exploration of Kalahari's aquifers in Namibia and Zambia. terratec acts as industrial partner investigating groundwater resources using SAEM methods with exploration depths up to 1000m.
• GREENPEG ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Horizon 2020 funded project for new exploration tools for European pegmatite green-tech resources. terratec developed and deployed the first fully EASA-certified heliborne magnetic nose boom system in Europe for low level, high resolution magnetic and radiometric surveys.
• University of Münster (DESMEX/DESMEX II)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with University of Münster on deep electromagnetic sounding for mineral exploration. Funded by BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung). terratec served as industrial partner in DESMEX (2015-2019) and DESMEX II (2019-2022).
• HiTech AlkCarb ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Horizon 2020 project developing new geomodels and sustainable exploration methods for alkaline igneous rocks and carbonatites for high-technology critical raw materials. terratec participated from 2016-2020.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fugro: Global geotechnical and geoscience services firm offering site characterization, geophysical surveys, and consulting across offshore, infrastructure, and mining markets. Relevant broad incumbent in geotechnical investigations segment where terratec competes on smaller projects.
• CGG (Viridien): Global geoscience technology and services company with multi-client seismic and mining-related geophysical offerings. Provides broader subservice capability than terratec, particularly in 3D seismic for mining, with significant scale and global reach.

Direct peers

• Geotech Airborne: Canadian airborne geophysical survey provider offering helicopter-borne VTEM, magnetic, and radiometric systems. Direct competitor in the airborne EM and magnetic survey market for mineral exploration globally.
• TMC Geophysical Services: Provides ground and borehole geophysical surveys for mining and geotechnical clients with comparable service portfolio (EM, IP, magnetics, borehole logging) to terratec's surface and borehole offerings.
• Quantec Geoscience: Specialized borehole and surface geophysical survey provider for mineral exploration, with deep expertise in off-hole anomaly detection (BH43-3, EMIT probes) — overlapping technology stack and customer base with terratec's borehole logging and off-hole services.
• Abitibi Geophysics: A Canadian geophysical services firm specializing in ground and borehole geophysical surveys for mineral exploration. Directly comparable service portfolio (EM, magnetic, IP, borehole logging) serving mining clients in multiple jurisdictions.
• SkyTEM ApS: Danish airborne EM survey company specializing in helicopter-borne transient EM for groundwater, mineral, and geothermal exploration. Closest direct competitor to terratec's G2D-EM semi-airborne EM offering on technology and target markets.
• Sander Geophysics: Canadian airborne geophysical survey provider with fixed-wing and helicopter platforms for magnetic, radiometric, and EM surveys. Directly comparable to terratec's airborne gyophysics services, including helicopter-deployable nose boom/stinger systems.
• International Geoscience (IGS): Borehole geophysical logging and surface survey specialist for mining and water resource applications. Operates in similar segments to terratec, particularly off-hole EM/magnetic detection from deep boreholes.

Emerging players

• SRK Consulting: Global mining-focused consulting firm providing geological, geotechnical, and resource estimation services. Adjacent rather than direct overlap, but competes for the same mining client budget on exploration-stage projects and frequently partners with or substitutes for geophysics-led service providers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TerratecGeophysicalServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terratec-geophysical-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about terratec Geophysical Services