Many important archaeological sites in Iraq still need to be preserved. Some of these sites were subjected to destruction and negligence. So, exploring these sites represents a priority for its protection. A 2D Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) as a non-invasive geophysical survey method was implemented at a part of the Borsippa archaeological site near Babylon to search for the subsurface archaeological artefacts/structures. Electrical resistivity measurements were carried out using a Dipole-Dipole array. Steps were taken to process and filter using Horizontal profiles, forward modelling, and 2D inverse models to analyze the resistivity measurements. The ERI inversion results show that the superficial conductive zone produced variations in ERI inverse models. The low resistivity caused by the relatively high conductivity was observed due to rainwater leaking into the topsoil zone. The ERI sections revealed a coherent depth of approximately 7 meters and the anomalies geometry and semi-layering soil. These changes can be attributed to the high resistivity contrast between the relatively high-resistivity anomalies and the surrounding intact soil. The soil types include dry silty and clayey soils and crushed refractory materials such as broken bricks and ruins mixed with rock pulp. These materials have resulted in the collapse of walls due to weathering and erosion. Based on the identified patterns, shallow-depth high-resistive anomalies are present and extend throughout some parts of the study area. These anomalies are represented in a SW-NE trend of the mound area. At the bottom of this zone is another zone with low resistance values and variable thickness, which varies from place to place within the study area. The results proved the efficiency of the ERI technique in detecting archaeological wall-like artefacts, which represents a data bank for any future archaeological prospection.
The selection of proper field survey parameters of electrical resistivity can significantly provide efficient results within a reasonable time and cost. Four electrode arrays of 2D Electric Resistivity Imaging (ERI) surveys were applied to characterize and detect subsurface archaeological bodies and to determine the appropriate array type that should be applied in the field survey. This research is to identify the subsurface features of the Borsippa archaeological site, Babylon Governorate, Middle Iraq. Synthetic modeling studies were conducted to determine the proper array and parameters for imaging the shallow subsurface features or targets. The efficiency of many array types has been tested for the detection the buried archaeolog
... Show MoreThe current research demonstrates the ERI method's effectiveness as a supplementary engineering site investigation approach. Engineering site research is important to indicate the subsoil of proposed production sites. The benefit of the dipole-dipole array for ERI electrical resistivity imaging is that it provides informative records of subsurface geology and condition along with profiles. The dipole-dipole array was performed along with three parallel profiles at the Diyala University site to identify the buried facilities (pipes and cables) in the area. The buried electric cable embedded in a plastic tube was used for simulation to report and verify the field resistivity results. Interpretation of field facts confirmed that
... Show MoreThe 2D electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) is a non-destructive method with good efficiency to detect shallow subsurface features. The archeological subsurface features were investigated with this method in most cases with the assistance of other methods such as GPR method. Eleven 2D ERI profiles were carried out to investigate the subsurface archeological features in the Kish site in the Babylon area. The 2D electrical resistivity survey was achieved with ABEM Terrameter-LS2 Device and 30 electrodes with 1-meter spacing between the adjacent electrodes along each profile. The length of the profile is 29 meters and the spacing between the adjacent profiles is 3 meters. The software RES2DINV was used to obtain the final inverted
... Show MoreThe friendly-environment geophysical methods are commonly used in various engineering and near-surface environmental investigations. Electrical Resistivity Imaging technique was used to investigate the subsurface rocks, sediments properties of a proposed industrial site to characterize the lateral and vertical lithological changes. via the electrical resistivity, to give an overview about the karst, weak and robust subsoil zones. Nineteen 2D ERI profiles using Wenner array with 2 m electrode spacing have been applied to investigate the specific industry area. One of these profiles has been conducted with one-meter electrode spacing. The surveyed profiles are divided into a number of blocks, each block consists of several parallel pr
... Show MoreAn oil spillage has been a great threat to human life in parts of Koya district, especially through the contamination of domestic water. An attempt was made to find and map the extent of pollution in the area. According to a field survey, more than 17 springs and 34 hand-dug and artesian wells have been contaminated with crude oil. The contamination was recorded recently after loading began of tens of oil tankers in the Taq-Taq oil field, and as a result hundred barrels of oil have spilled into the creeks and soil daily. Hence, 2D resistivity imaging was adopted via four laid-out traverses running normal to the strike of the outcrops. A Wenner-Schlumberger array configuration was used to achieve both vertical and lateral resistivity dist
... Show MoreIraqi western desert is characterized by a widespread karst phenomenon and caves. Euphrates formation (Lower Miocene) includes enormous sinkholes and cavities within carbonate rocks that usually cause severe damages to any kind of engineering facilities built over it. 3D resistivity imaging techniques were used in detecting this kind of cavities in complicated lithology. The 3D view was fulfilled by collating seven 2D imaging lines. The 2D imaging survey was carried out by Dipole-dipole array with (n) factor and electrode spacing (a) of 6 and 2m respectively. The horizontal slices of the 3D models give a good subsurface picture. There are many caves in all directions (x, y, z). They reveal many small caves near the surface. Thes
... Show MoreKirchhoff Time Migration method was applied in pre-and post-Stack Time Migration for post-processing of images collected from Balad-Samarra (BS-92) survey line that is sited across Ajeel anticline oilfield. The results showed that Ajeel anticline structure was relocated at the correct position in the migrated stacked section. The two methods (Pre and Post) of migration processing showed enhanced subsurface images and increased horizontal resolution, which was clear after the broadening the syncline and narrowing or compressing the anticline. However, each of these methods was associated with migration noise. Thus, a Post-Stack process was applied using Dip-Removal (DDMED) and Band-Pass filters to eliminate the artifact noise. The time-fr
... Show MoreUnknown subsurface leaking water sources and possible subsurface seepage from a sewage tank in a garden at Al-Khawarizmi engineering college, University of Baghdad, were detected in this study. The 2D electrical resistivity imaging. The ERI survey is carried out along two lines, 60m and 50m long, with an electrode spacing of 1 m, forming a cross using the Wenner-Schlumberger array configuration. Line 1 is 60m, while line 2 is 50m. Soil samples were collected from line 1 at positions of electrode 34, which shows a high resistivity value, and electrode 55, which shows low resistivity, for laboratory analysis. Robust inversion and modelling processes showed relative change and high contrast in interpreted resistivities. Soil analy
... Show MoreThe meteorological data recorded in Al-Hilla station for the period (1984-2014) were used to describe the climatic condition of the Greater Musaiyab Project lies in Babylon Governorate, 90Km southern of Baghdad City, central of Iraq. This study found that the summation of rainfall is (112.323 mm), average of relative humidity (47.44%), temperature (25.55 C◦), sunshine (8.748 h/day) and the total of evaporation is (2268.463 mm). In this research, three classifications were applied to find the type of climate in the study area. The results of the climate classification show that, the climate of study area is characterized by dry and relatively hot in summer, and cold with low rain in winter. Thornthwiat equation was used to determine the
... Show MoreThe 2D resistivity imaging technique was applied in an engineering study for the investigation of subsurface weakness zones within University of Anbar, western Iraq. The survey was carried out using Dipole-dipole array with an n-factor of 6 and a-spacing values of 2 m and 5 m. The inverse models of the 2D electrical imaging clearly show the resistivity contrast between the anomalous parts of the weakness zones and the background resistivity distribution. The thickness and shape of the subsurface weakness zones were well defined from the 2D imaging using Dipole-dipole array of 2 m a-spacing. The thickness of the weakness zone ranges between 9.5 m to 11.5 m. Whereas the Dipole-dipole array with a-spacing of 5 m and n-factor of 6 allocated
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