Geophysical prospecting in the Doukkala area (Swalah commune) in Morocco

Abstract

The collapse of the subsoil creates a risk for the population whether it is urban or rural. Each year, the damage caused by these collapses has considerable socio-economic consequences, and the damage costs are very high. Thus, the detection of these areas of collapse in urban and rural areas is important to prevent and avoid socio-economic consequences, and to establish a preventive risk planning to have a better protection of people and goods. The commune of Swalah, study area, belongs to the province of El Jadida which is part of those areas of Doukkala exposed to the risk of collapse due to the presence of underground cavities. These cavities are potentially dangerous for humans, especially in urban areas. They have different extensions that can be caused by natural or anthropic origin. Their size, as well as the physical properties of the external environment in which they are located, allow the use of different geophysical methods. The use of these geophysical methods is the best to detect and delineate cavities in this region. The present study was based on a geophysical compaign of vertical electrical soundings. Indeed, 50 electrical soundings were modeled and reinterpreted and allowed to detect and delineate any potential cavities in the region.