Field tests were conducted to determine if an object buried near the surface could be detected by monitoring the surface temperature of the soil. A series of tests using various object depths and thermal diffusivities were made with a portable infrared thermometer. In addition, a three‐dimensional, implicit computer simulation was used to model and normalize the data. The method of underground detection investigated appears to be effective not only in locating a buried object but also in estimating its thermal diffusivity. Furthermore, some idea of object shape and depth can be obtaine