First in situ tests of a new electrostatic resistivity meter

Abstract

If field applications of the electrostatic method are limited to roughly the first ten metres due to the necessity of staying in a low‐induction number domain, the possibilities it opens in urban area surveying, dry hole resistivity logging, non‐destructive testing and laboratory studies of the complex resistivity justify the design of a new multi‐frequency resistivity meter presenting a very low‐input capacitance and high‐phase sensitivity. After a first series of sample measurements in the laboratory, the new resistivity meter was tested in two different field contexts: the mapping of building remains in a Gallo‐Roman archaeological site under a flat meadow and the assessment of the thickness of anthropogenic layers in a town. The first test allowed a direct comparison with previous galvanic resistivity measurements and proved a very good agreement between the magnitude and spatial distribution of electrical resistivity. The second test established its reliable measuring abilities in a disturbed environment.