What Geosphere does

Geosphere Inc is a privately held, bootstrapped geophysical and hydrogeologic consulting firm founded in 1985 by Robert Glaccum in Miami, Florida, and now headquartered at 124 North Auburn Road, Auburn, Michigan. The firm delivers two core service lines: Environmental Geophysics consulting for contamination assessment, buried tank and drum detection, landfill delineation, and groundwater studies; and Geotechnical/Explorational Geophysics consulting for bedrock characterization, pipeline and dam routing, karst and mine feature detection, and construction site evaluation. Service delivery relies on a comprehensive instrument suite spanning surface methods (high-resolution seismic reflection/refraction, electromagnetic induction, magnetometry/metal detection, ground penetrating radar, resistivity, and gravity) and downhole methods (high-resolution color borehole video, natural gamma, EM induction, electric, caliper, and temperature logging), supported by a climate-controlled mobile logging van and processing software including WinSeis Turbo augmented by in-house developed programs.

Geosphere's customer base is unusually broad for a firm of its size, spanning more than 100 named clients across three segments: engineering and drilling firms (e.g., CH2M Hill, Jacobs Engineering, URS, Golder Associates, Parsons, Weston, Brown & Root, Halliburton NUS), industrial companies (3M, Dow Chemical, Exxon, Shell, BP, Amoco, Marathon, Eastman Kodak, Procter & Gamble, Koch, Unocal, FMC, Oryx), and government agencies (U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Arizona DOT, Florida DOT, Michigan DEQ, Minnesota DH/PCA/DOT, and multiple Minnesota municipalities). Projects are run on a direct-engagement, project-by-project professional services model with all work overseen by trained geophysicists who personally perform both data acquisition and interpretation.

The firm's business model is straightforward professional services: revenue is generated from project-based consulting fees with pricing not publicly disclosed. The company has no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no parent, and it markets primarily through its website and professional reputation. Geographic reach is nationwide within the U.S., with projects conducted at high-profile sites including Love Canal, Seymour Recycling, Lone Pine Landfill, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Wright-Patterson AFB, and Kincheloe AFB under principal Robert Glaccum's leadership.

Name

Geosphere

Legal name

Geosphere Inc

Website

https://geosphereinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Geosphere Inc is a privately held geophysical and hydrogeologic consulting firm founded in 1985 that provides environmental and geotechnical subsurface investigations using surface and downhole methods, serving engineering firms, industrial companies, and government agencies across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical & Hydrogeologic Consulting Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical Site Investigation & Engineering Geology (Borings, Lab Testing) (EUAHAFAE), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA), Seismic & Geoscience Services (Acquisition, Processing, Interpretation) (EUALABAK)

Keywords

• Environmental geophysics consulting
• Geotechnical geophysics services
• Subsurface investigation services
• Ground penetrating radar surveys
• Borehole geophysical logging

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

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 Consulting Services: Provides consulting services for environmental, geotechnical, groundwater, archaeological, mining, and oil exploration applications using various geophysical methods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Geosphere Inc provides high-resolution geophysical and hydrogeologic consulting services nationwide, delivering Environmental Geophysics investigations for contamination assessment and cleanup sites and Geotechnical/Explorational Geophysics investigations for engineering and construction projects. Services are performed using surface methods (seismic reflection/refraction, electromagnetic induction, magnetometry, ground penetrating radar, resistivity, gravity) and downhole methods (borehole video, natural gamma, EM, electric, caliper, and temperature logging), with all projects headed by trained geophysicists responsible for both data acquisition and interpretation.

Product overview

Geosphere Inc is a geophysical and hydrogeologic consulting firm established in 1985, providing quality consulting services nationwide. The company's offerings are organized around two primary service lines: Environmental Geophysics Consulting Services (for contaminant plume location, buried tank detection, and groundwater studies) and Geotechnical/Explorational Geophysics Consulting Services (for bedrock characterization, pipeline routing, and construction site evaluation). These consulting services are delivered using a comprehensive suite of surface geophysical methods (seismic reflection/refraction, electromagnetic induction, magnetometry, ground penetrating radar, resistivity, and gravity) and downhole methods (borehole video inspection, natural gamma logging, EM induction logging, electric logging, caliper logging, and temperature logging). The company operates specialized equipment including the Cues RVC-360 high-resolution color video camera system, MLS Series 1500 wireline logging unit, GSSI SIR-3 ground penetrating radar system with multiple antennas, Geonics EM survey instruments (EM-31DL, EM-34XL, EM-38), Foerster Ferex 4.021 magnetometer, and Bison Instruments 9048 seismograph. Data processing capabilities include WinSeis Turbo, ViewSeis, SeisOpt, and Surfer for Windows software. All geophysical projects are headed by trained geophysicists who are directly responsible for acquisition and interpretation of data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Geophysics Consulting Services
• Geotechnical / Explorational Geophysics Consulting Services
• Surface Geophysical Methods
• Downhole Geophysical Methods
• Case Study Service: Abandoned Well Location Surveys
• Case Study Service: Industrial Waste Pit & Buried Object Mapping

Quantifiable outcome

• Interpreted bedrock depths closely matched existing boring information in case studies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Kleinfelder: Large engineering, environmental, and geotechnical services firm with significant in-house geophysical and subsurface investigation capabilities serving many of the same buyer segments as Geosphere.
• WSP (formerly Golder Associates): Global engineering consultancy with strong environmental and geotechnical practices; Golder specifically was a long-standing Geosphere client, making WSP a logical incumbent comparable.
• Jacobs: Major global engineering and environmental services firm with extensive site investigation, environmental characterization, and DOD/USACE work — and an existing Geosphere client.
• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with a sizable environment and water practice performing site investigations and subsurface characterization for industrial and government clients.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with deep environmental remediation and water resources practices that frequently perform or subcontract near-surface geophysical investigations for EPA, DOD, and industrial clients.

Direct peers

• Cascade Environmental Group: Specialty firm providing direct-push drilling, in-situ remediation, and geophysical logging services for environmental site investigations — directly comparable in service mix and customer base.
• Haley & Aldrich: Geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy with subsurface characterization capabilities, serving industrial, commercial, and government clients nationwide — directly comparable in offering mix.
• Zonge International: Geophysical services firm providing electromagnetic, electrical, seismic, and magneto-telluric surveys for environmental, geotechnical, mining, and groundwater applications — comparable specialty competitor.
• GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Environmental and geotechnical engineering consultancy with an in-house geophysics practice serving many of the same industrial, government, and engineering-firm clients as Geosphere.
• hydroGEOPHYSICS, Inc. Specialty near-surface geophysical consulting firm providing electrical, electromagnetic, seismic, and GPR surveys for environmental, geotechnical, and groundwater investigations — a direct small-shop comparable to Geosphere.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Geosphere