Accurate detection of karst is of utmost importance for infrastructure construction. However, traditional surface wave methods for data acquisition and processing fall short in meeting the requirements of large-scale infrastructure projects in karst areas. In order to address these limitations, an improved approach called the high-density pseudo-source surface wave method has been proposed based on the traditional surface wave method. This method involves the collection of a large volume of data through high-density data acquisition, where multiple measurements at the same location with different pseudo-sources are combined during the inversion process, significantly enhancing the efficiency and utilization of the detection process. A workflow for establishing numerical models using the high-density pseudo-source surface wave method has been developed and validated. Additionally, field applications of this method have been conducted. The research findings demonstrate a strong correlation between the results obtained from the high-density pseudo-source surface wave method and those from drilling exploration, highlighting a significant improvement in karst detection. These achievements provide valuable insights and references for the rapid and accurate detection of karst in large-scale infrastructure projects.