Spectrum Geophysics

What Spectrum Geophysics does

Spectrum Geophysics is a privately held geophysical surveying firm founded in 1985 by Dana LeTourneau and headquartered in North Hollywood, California, with a regional office in Huntington Beach. The company specializes in non-invasive subsurface characterization for engineering, environmental, and infrastructure projects, offering services that include utility locating, underground storage tank (UST) detection, oil well detection, seismic site classification (Vs30), paleochannel and landfill delineation, rebar location, void and sinkhole mapping, depth-to-bedrock surveys, fault location, contaminant plume delineation, and groundwater delineation. Current leadership comprises Brett Baker (President/CEO) and Laura Cathcart-Dodge (VP/Senior Geophysicist), and the firm operates as an independent small business with 11–50 employees and no external funding.

The firm serves a diversified enterprise client base across multiple verticals: major engineering consultancies (AECOM, Jacobs, Ramboll, Geosyntec, TRC, WSP, APTIM, Geocon), aerospace and defense (Boeing, Lockheed Martin), utilities (Edison International), and freight rail (BNSF Railway, Union Pacific). Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements rather than recurring subscriptions or platform fees. Spectrum holds two disclosed proprietary technical methods — UST dimension determination and 1D shear wave velocity modeling — and maintains a minor collaboration with Legg Geophysical for fault studies including the Newport-Inglewood Fault corridor. The firm has no parent company, no disclosed patents or awards, and no stated AI/ML capability; it competes on domain expertise, regional California presence, and qualifications for regulated subsurface work.

Name

Spectrum Geophysics

Legal name

Spectrum Geophysics

Website

https://spectrum-geophysics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spectrum Geophysics is a privately held California geophysical surveying firm founded in 1985, providing non-invasive subsurface characterization services — including utility locating, UST detection, and seismic site classification (Vs30) — to engineering consultancies, aerospace/defense, utilities, and rail clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical Surveying Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)

Keywords

• Geophysical surveying services
• Subsurface characterization
• Utility locating services
• Underground storage tank detection
• Seismic site classification

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geophysical Surveying Services: Professional services revenue generated from providing geophysical data acquisition, processing, and interpretation for subsurface characterization projects including utility locating, UST investigations, oil well detection, seismic site classification, landfill delineation, fault location, and groundwater delineation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Spectrum Geophysics provides professional geophysical data acquisition, processing, and interpretation services for subsurface characterization of urban, industrial, and military settings. Offerings include utility locating, underground storage tank (UST) investigations, oil well detection, seismic site classification (Vs30), paleochannel, landfill, void/sinkhole, depth-to-bedrock/rippability, fault location, contaminant plume, loose/weak soil, and groundwater delineation surveys using GPR, electromagnetics, seismic refraction, magnetics, and electrical resistivity methods.

Product overview

Spectrum Geophysics is a certified small business entity specializing in geophysical data acquisition, processing, and interpretation services. The company operates as a service provider rather than a software product company, offering a portfolio of geophysical survey services including: Utility Location/Borehole Investigation, UST Investigations, Oil Well Detection, Seismic Site Classification (Vs30), Paleochannel Investigations, Landfill Delineation, Rebar Location, Void/Sinkhole Delineation, Depth to Bedrock/Rippability, Fault Location, Contaminant Plume Delineation, Loose/Weak Soil Delineation, and Groundwater Delineation. Founded in 1985, the company serves military, industrial, and urban settings across California. Their innovative approach integrates multiple geophysical methods (Ground Penetrating Radar, Time Domain Electromagnetics, Frequency Domain Electromagnetics, Electrical Resistivity, Magnetics, Refraction Microtremor) to minimize cultural interferences and provide corroborated survey results.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Utility Location / Borehole Investigation Passive and active EM utility-locating methods to identify surface traces of detectable underground utilities and abandoned piping including electric, water, telephone, natural gas, storm drain, sanitary sewer, fuel piping, and compressed air. GPR methods employed for non-metallic utilities.
• Underground Storage Tank (UST) Investigations EM-61 shallow focus metal detector or 3D GPR investigations for detecting and delineating underground storage tanks. Data collected along parallel lines and color contoured for plan view mapping. Includes proprietary method for determining UST dimensions when access is available.
• Oil Well Detection Cesium vapor walking magnetometer surveys for detecting steel-cased oil or water wells. Methods include walking gradiometer and electromagnetics depending on anticipated depth, investigation area size, and interference sources.
• Seismic Site Classification (Vs30) Active source Refraction Microtremor (ReMi) technique using surface waves and ambient noise to generate 1D vertical shear wave velocity profiles and measure NEHRP seismic site class. Also offers MASW and downhole seismic methods, with proprietary 1D shear wave velocity modeling using forward modeling.
• Paleochannel Investigations Investigation services using electrical resistivity, seismic refraction, seismic reflection, EM-31, or TEM methods to define paleochannels for accurate placement of water or monitoring wells.
• Landfill Delineation EM-31, magnetics, and electrical resistivity methods to define lateral extents and depth of former landfills, with method selection based on lateral vs. vertical delineation needs and investigation dimensions.
• Rebar Location GPR-based non-invasive scanning using GSSI Structure Scan or Sensors & Software Conquest system to identify post-tension cables, reinforcement, live electric lines in slabs and walls, and verify reinforcement density.
• Void/Sinkhole Delineation Investigation of shallow sinkholes, tunnels, voids in concrete, voids beneath shallow pipes, and shallow caves using GPR, electrical resistivity, and EM-31 methods.
• Depth to Bedrock / Rippability Seismic refraction, ReMi, MASW, and/or electrical resistivity methods to define depth to bedrock and overburden/bedrock interface for construction and excavation planning.
• Fault Location Seismic refraction, electrical resistivity, and seismic reflection methods for delineating faults including the Newport-Inglewood Fault zone, achieving depths over 1000ft in some cases.
• Contaminant Plume Delineation Electrical resistivity, TEM, EM-31, and/or EM-34 methods to delineate TDS plumes, LNAPL plumes, DNAPL plumes, chemical plumes, landfill plumes, and saltwater plumes.
• Loose/Weak Soil Delineation 2D MASW and p-wave refraction tomography for lateral and vertical measurement of shear wave and p-wave velocity, used for bridge and dam design, delineation of buried slide planes, and liquefaction-prone areas.
• Groundwater Delineation ERT or TDEM methods to identify depth to potentially saturated zones for production water well siting, preferential pathways, perched water areas, and high TDS/high salinity groundwater.

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Zonge International: Zonge International is a US-based geophysical services firm offering electromagnetic, seismic, MT, AMT, CSAMT, and IP surveys for mineral, geothermal, and infrastructure clients. Its multi-method acquisition/interpretation footprint directly overlaps Spectrum's integrated GPR/EM/seismic/resistivity service portfolio for subsurface characterization.
• Apex Companies: Apex Companies is a US environmental and engineering consulting firm that performs geophysical site characterization (UST, landfill, contaminant delineation) as part of remediation services. The two firms are simultaneously customers and competitors on environmental delineation projects, making Apex a directly relevant peer.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a large diversified engineering and environmental consulting firm with internal geophysics, geotechnical, and remediation capabilities. It competes on bundled scopes for the same enterprise clients, but offers a much broader portfolio rather than specializing in the geophysics niche.
• Terracon: Terracon is a large national geotechnical and environmental consulting firm with in-house geophysics practices serving construction, energy, and infrastructure clients. It is a broader incumbent that competes with Spectrum where the latter serves AECOM/Jacobs/WSP-style customers on geotechnical projects.
• Haley & Aldrich: Haley & Aldrich is an engineering and environmental consulting firm offering geophysical, geotechnical, and remediation services to infrastructure and industrial clients. It operates as a broader incumbent competitor in subsurface investigations, but is not a specialized geophysics-only firm.
• Arcadis: Arcadis is a global design, engineering, and environmental consulting firm with practices including geophysics and groundwater services. It is a broader incumbent that competes for the same enterprise remediation and infrastructure programs that sometimes engage Spectrum as a specialist subconsultant.
• Ramboll: Ramboll is a global engineering and environmental consulting firm with geotechnical and groundwater practices. It is both a customer of Spectrum (for specialized surveys) and a broader incumbent that competes on integrated environmental remediation scopes.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with internal geophysics, geotechnical, and environmental capabilities. It engages Spectrum as a specialty subconsultant while also being able to self-perform or bypass the firm on certain scopes.
• Jacobs: Jacobs is a global professional services firm with environmental, geotechnical, and infrastructure practices that include geophysics. It is a significant customer but also a broader incumbent that competes on integrated engineering scopes.

Others

• Geometrics: Geometrics is a US manufacturer of geophysical instruments (magnetometers, EM, seismographs) used in many of the same surveys Spectrum performs. As an enabling supplier rather than a field-services competitor, it is an adjacent peer rather than a direct rival.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Spectrum Geophysics