The application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), induced polarization (IP) and electromagnetic conductivity (EMC) methods for the evaluation of technical condition of flood embankment corpus

Abstract

A series of catastrophic floods that have occurred over the last twenty years in Poland brought an urgent need for taking preventive steps to monitor river embankment conditions. The main problem seems to be the development of efficient (i.e. fast and economical) measurements for controlling the condition of river embankments, because the execution of the full range of geotechnical measurements is both lengthy and costly. In this situation, a cheap and quick geophysical survey has been proposed to undertake this purpose. In this article the results of geophysical surveys are described which were performed using geoelectric and electromagnetic methods along a section of the Vistula embankment, located near the Maniów area in the Małopolska province. According to the archival data, this region is situated in a high-risk flooding zone. Three geophysical methods were used to recognize conditions of the levee: (i) Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), (ii) Induced Polarization (IP) and (iii) Electromagnetic Conductivity (EMC). Geoelectrical measurement results were presented in the form of resistivity and polarization cross-sections. Results of conductivity measurement were presented in the form of plots. These parameters effectively supplement geotechnical testing, providing spatial information about the changes within the embankment and its substrate. It allows the prediction of potentially vulnerable areas to water percolation during flooding.

Microgravimetric and GPR surveys for detection of unconsolidated zones in a levee

“…In gravimetry, quantitative interpretation is often performed using gravity forward modelling [3]. 2¾D gravity modelling was applied to interpret the main anomaly "B".…”

“…However, such surveys provide only point wise information about the condition of levees, therefore it is essential to apply methods which can reveal the geotechnical condition in a spatially continuous manner. Geophysical techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), induced polarization (IP), electromagnetic induction (EM) [2,4,10] and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) [3,5,6,11], are frequently used for this purpose. In addition, MASW method [12] and microgravimetry are increasingly being used to recognize the geotechnical condition of flood levee.…”

Integration of electrical resistivity tomography with electromagnetic and soil radon measurements for characterizing the leakage problem in Afamia B dam, Syria

“…The Slingram electromagnetic method was used, in this study, as an additional and supportive tool in order to characterize the shallow subsurface zones or non homogenous geological mediums. This technique has been proven its performance as a practical tool combined with ERT technique in many occasion around the world (Soupios et al, 2007;Cygal et al, 2016;Osinowo et al, 2018).…”

The Potential Use of Ground Conductivity Meters to Identify the Location of Seepages—Case Study of the Maniów Levee near Krakow, Poland

“…In this region, due to seepage under the levee, several hydraulic failures have occurred, which resulted in flood events in 1997, 2010, and 2014 [7][8][9][10]. The task of the geophysical surveys that were carried out was to locate the zones in which hydraulic fissures might be created when retained water dammed up in the river.…”