Laboratory technique for measurement of spectral induced polarization response of soil samples: H. Vanhala & H. Soininen, Geophysical Prospecting, 43(5), 1995, pp 655–676

Abstract

Laboratory measurements of soil samples are necessary to assess the effect of mineralogy, grain size distribution, moisture content, and electrolyte composition on the resistivity spectrum of soil material. Laboratory results are also required for the interpretation of field data. Induced polarization phenomena in glacial soils are poorly understood and so far no convenient laboratory techniques are available for its measurement. Coarse grain size and the need to measure unsaturated samples and to monitor the homogeneity of the sample require a sample holder-electrode construction that differs from those presented in clay mineral studies. This study presents a spectral induced polarization laboratory system that is suitable for measuring fine- and coarse-grained and both saturated and unsaturated soil samples. The noise caused by the electrode-electrolyte interface is studied in detail. It is shown that easy-to-use platinum or acid-free steel potential electrodes are convenient over a broad frequency band ranging from 0.016 Hz up to more than 1000 Hz. The laboratory experiments and comparisons between laboratory and field results also indicate that sampling and sample packing procedures have only a minor influence on the phase spectrum of glacial soils.