Site investigation for engineering purposes using geophysical techniques at Al-Madabigh area, Cairo, Egypt

Zayed, Mahmoud; Gomaa, Mohamed; Ramah, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/djs.2024.262317.1144

Site investigation for engineering purposes using geophysical techniques at Al-Madabigh area, Cairo, Egypt

Document Type : Research and Reference

Authors

¹ Geology Department, Science Faculty, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

² National Research Centre, Geophysical Sciences Department, Cairo, Egypt

³ 1. National Research Centre, Geophysical Sciences Department, Cairo, Egypt 2. Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

10.21608/djs.2024.262317.1144

Abstract

Engineering site investigation is fundamental to delineate the subsurface conditions of proposed building sites. Application of 1D and 2D geophysical resistivity techniques give useful data about the layering and condition of the subsurface along measured VESs and profiles. A contaminated area that has some caves, in addition to some near-surface contaminated water from an unknown source, was investigated at Al-Madabigh area, Cairo, Egypt. The objectives of this study are to identify the rock sequence, delineate the groundwater and source of contaminated surface water, and confirm the site's suitability for engineering construction using the electrical resistivity method. Twelve 1D VESs, consisting of seven VESs with the Wenner array and five VESs with the Schlumberger array, were conducted on the study site. In addition to a grid of thirteen 2D resistivity measurements using a Wenner array, were made along the research site: seven perpendicular to the major road and six parallel to it. The observed 1D and 2D resistivity field data were processed using ipi2win and Res2Dinv software. The correlation between geoelectrical results and those available from holes in the area and piezometric data gives an updated view of the groundwater table. It also helped in delineating the contact between contaminated leakage water and groundwater, and obtaining 2D images of the contaminated area, in addition to decelerating the site's suitability for engineering construction.

Keywords