thumping
n.— «Then a soldier would conduct the equivalent of what the oil industry calls “thumping.” Within the area rigged with sensors, a soldier would shoot a rifle at a small metal plate on the ground, causing reverberations anywhere from 20 to 200 feet into the ground.» —“Project lets Army dig deep into underground data” by Anne Broache CNET Aug. 22, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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