WHAT IS A BETSY GUN?
Betsy Guns are seismic sources that use propellant (gun powder) to produce deep penetrating acoustic energy, down to 2km in good conditions.
They are not considered a firearm by the ATF, and can be shipped, stored and safely used by any seismic practitioner in the US and Canada without special licensing.
Betsy Guns are lightweight, portable, and have a minimal environmental impact.
Betsy Gun - Powder Actuated Seismic Source
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
The BFG-1000 is suitable for investigations from the shallow subsurface down to 2 km.
Portable enough to deploy in extreme environments
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
Betsy Guns are configurable to be used in remote and extreme environments.
Low-impact and suitable for sensitive environments
The data-quality of explosives - accessible to anyone
Low-impact and suitable for sensitive environments
The BFG-1000 uses blank ammunition for a near zero environmental impact.
What Sets The Betsy Gun BFG-1000 Apart?
Safety
- Redesigned with user safety as the top priority, today's Betsy Guns are safer than a sledgehammer.
- The BFG-1000 is electronically initiated allowing users to stand safely away from the system.
Data Quality
- 117kJ of energy per shot, equivalent to one hundred 16lb sledgehammer blows.
- Frequencies as low as 2Hz enable deep penetrating seismic reflections down to 2 km depth and enable processing techniques like FWI.
- Great for refraction studies in noisy or highly attenuative environments.
- Frequencies up to 200 Hz produce high resolution imagery in the shallow subsurface.
- Ideal source for surface-wave analysis and site hazard classification. allowing shear wave velocity estimation down to ~300 m
- Generates tube waves that are a source of vertically polarized shear waves (Sv).
Accessibility
- Betsy Guns are affordable, durable, and easy to maintain.
- The Betsy Gun is not considered a firearm by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
- Blank ammunition is exempted from most ammunition laws in the US, and can be shipped to any state or US territory.
- Betsy Guns and ammunition are available in the US and Canada.
