Using 2D Electrical Resistivity Imaging to Evaluate Soil Investigations in Palm Towers Site of Al-Muthana Airport, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

For engineering site investigations at Al-Muthana Airport land in Baghdad, Iraq, the two-dimensional electrical resistivity imaging method was used. The site investigation is important for figuring out the subsoil profile, weak spots, and groundwater level of possible production sites in the area. Wenner-Schlumberger array was used to survey six electrical resistivity spreads with a total length of 600m, a length of 100m acquired for each survey line, with a distance of 1m between electrodes. The depth of the investigation was 23.5 for each surveyed line. Robust inversion and model techniques showed that the values of resistivities were not all the same in the six inverted models. Based on the inverted models, the depth of the groundwater was found to be between 3 – 4 meters at the first site and about 4.5 meters at the second site, which is 1 m deeper than what was found in the geotechnical investigation report. Further, the top 1-1.5 m of sediments have different components, hardness, and moisture levels. So, the current study stated that this layer should be picked up and compacted before the foundation is built. Far down 1.5m, the layer seems to be wet, so a layer with low permeability must be added around the foundation.