Using Radar Imaging of Propagating Acoustic Waves to Constrain Models of Mechanical Properties in an Heterogeneous Near Surface Imaging System

A system for near-surface subsurface imaging for detecting and characterizing subsurface heterogeneities comprises a non-contact acoustic source that senses a plurality of acoustic waves that travel through a surface; an instrument that outputs probing electromagnetic signals through the surface that interact and are affected by scattered signals of the acoustic waves and further senses vibrational modes of a subsurface below the surface; an imaging device that dynamically generates a time sequence of images of properties of the acoustic waves and maps elastic wave fields of the acoustic waves; and a processor that analyzes dynamic multi-wave data of the images to quantify spatial variations in the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the subsurface.