Effect of electrode types and soil moisture on the application of electrical resistivity tomography and time-domain induced polarization for monitoring soil stabilization

Abstract

There is a growing demand for an efficient noninvasive method for monitoring stabilization sites. Geophysical monitoring method was applied in a pilot site. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and time-domain induced polarization (TDIP) surveys showed that the topsoil and stabilized soil exhibited an electrical resistivity of 335.7 ± 251.8 and 74.8 ± 16.9 O-m, respectively, and a chargeability of 11.7 ± 7.6 and 6.0 ± 2.3 mV/V, respectively. Both methods distinguished the stabilized layer and topsoil, and 3D ERT and TDIP provided additional information related to the long-term stability of the stabilized site. The influence of the electrode type on electrical resistivity and chargeability noise was negligible. As the water content in the soil increased, the electrical resistivity and chargeability decreased in the stabilized soil, while chargeability increased at a water content of 20–30% in the topsoil. This study highlights the potential of geophysical methods for monitoring stabilized sites.