Nondestructive imaging of small size voids at Akrotiri archaeological site, Thera Island, Greece, by seismic inversion techniques

Abstract

High-resolution travel time tomography was used to explore the volcanic basement rock at the Akrotiri archaeological site, Thera (Santorini) Island. The survey was carried out in the context of a large scale project, in which the protective roof cover of old monuments is being replaced by a new environmentally friendly structure, which will be supported by 95 pillars drilled into the volcanic basement rock. Man-made or natural cavities (empty or half-filled with stones), ceramics, and other materials of archaeological interest were unveiled during the excavation of foundation shafts. The objective of this geophysical investigation was the detection of such voids in the vicinity of the excavated shafts, so that the overhead structure can be better supported and protected in the case of an earthquake event. The cross-hole seismic tomography technique was adopted for this purpose. A number of synthetic examples and a calibration experiment at a shaft with a known natural cavity clearly indicated that the tomographic inversion is capable of providing high-resolution 2-D velocity models. High S/N ratios ensured field seismic records of high quality. A set of stability tests was run to check the consistency of the method. Travel time residuals verified the validity of the final velocity depth sections, while model complexity trends showed a consistency between models after a certain number of iterations. The reconstructed velocity fields were quite consistent with the expected velocity structures based on the geologic descriptions of formations encountered during the drilling of the shafts. Impressive low-velocity structures attributed to natural or man-made cavities were reported to the constructing group of engineers, and a remedial action plan was being undertaken to support and improve the ground behavior.