Determining Soil Properties using Vertical Electrical Sounding: The Case Study of the Power Electrical Station Project in Al-Debony, Iraq

Authors

  • Amer A. Al-Khalidy Department of Applied Geology, College of Science, University of Babylon, Hilla, Babylon, Iraq
Volume: 15 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 23514-23521 | June 2025 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.10751

Abstract

A one dimensional electrical survey was carried out in Al-Debony District, about 30 km from the west of Wassit Governorate center. The survey includes three profiles of 30 m long. Each of these profiles consists of three Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) stations with a separation distance equal to 10 m. The Schlumberger array is used in this paper according to the aim of the study. All obtained data were processed using IPI2WIN software to get the best match between the field curve (after their smoothing) and the theoretical one. The given types of VES curves, for all stations, are shown as HK, KQQ, KHK, HKQ, and HKH. The soil and the presence of different types of water caused a change in electrical resistivity, which is why these curves differed in type. The findings revealed that each sounding station has four to five zones, which illustrate how the resistivity values change with depth. In addition to the salty water and the depth relationship, the low readings indicate the existence of clay layers. Some VES have high resistivity values, suggesting the presence of sand and silt sediments with reduced water salinity as depth increases. Some VES have high resistivity values, which indicate the presence of sand and silt sediments with reduced water salinity as depth increases. There was a good agreement between the data obtained and the information provided from the soil test and borehole sampling. On the other hand, because of the layer's deposition, the salt of the water, and the impact of the lower water table, the topsoil and center portion of the site have high resistivity values.

Keywords:

soil properties, vertical electrical sounding, power electrical station, Al-Debony district, Iraq

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

W. Al-Fares, "Contribution of the geophysical methods in characterizing the water leakage in Afamia B dam, Syria," Journal of Applied Geophysics, vol. 75, no. 3, pp. 464–471, Nov. 2011.

S. Mareš, Introduction to applied geophysics. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Reidel, 2010.

J. M. Reynolds, An introduction to applied and environmental geophysics, Reprint. Chichester, Spain: Wiley, 2010.

H. I. Z. Al-Sudani, "Hydrogeological and hydrochemical study of groundwater aquifer in Wasit Governorate, Eastern Iraq," Resources Environment and Information Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 270–279, Dec. 2024.

M. J. Guccione, “Grain‐Size Distribution of Overbank Sediment and Its Use to Locate Channel Positions,” in Alluvial Sedimentation, 1st ed., M. Marzo and C. Puigdefábregas, Eds. Wiley, 1993, pp. 185–194.

H. A. S. Al-Amar and A. A. L. Al-alidi, "Study of engineering properties by using downhole method for south Baghdad area in Iraq," International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, vol. 9, no. 9, pp. 508–520, Sep. 2018.

C. Bobachev, "IPI2Win: A windows software for an automatic interpretation of resistivity sounding data," Moscow State University, 320 Moscow, Russia, 2002.

Z. N. Jedi and A. A. Al-Khalidy, "Comparing the Results of Geotechnical Tests with the Well Seismic Survey to Find the Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity for the Surface Soil Sections in Hilla City," The Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 228–233, May 2023.

A. J. Al-Heety, A. A. Al-Khalidy, and A. J. Al-Khafaji, "Ground Penetrating Radar in Civil Engineering Application: Case Study of Multistorey Building Foundation Site to Maping Subsurface Features at the Center of Karbala Governorate, Iraq," The Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 49–66, Jan. 2018.

H. A. S. Al-Amar, A. A. L. Al-Kh, and A. H. Hadi, "Assessment of soil banks of part from Shatt al-hilla in Al Hilla city / Babylon Governorate," International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 2306–2315, Nov. 2018.

W. N. Mrzah, R. A. Mahmod, and A. A. Lafta, "Geotechnical Properties Study of Soil Bank Slopes for Shatt Al-Hilla, Middle of Iraq," The Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 97–109, Dec. 2021.

Practice for Soil Exploration and Sampling by Auger Borings, D1452/D1452M-16 ASTM International, PA, USA, 2016.

G. V. Keller and F. C. Frischknecht, Electrical methods in geophysical prospecting. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1966.

M. O. Karkush, "Impacts of Soil Contamination on the Response of Piles Foundation under a Combination of Loading," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 917–922, Feb. 2016.

I. M. Jaafer, A. H. Salih, A. A. Laftah, and E. H. Al-Khersan, "Engineering Site investigation inside Basrah City, Southern Iraq Using Cross-Hole Seismic Refraction Technique (A case Study)," The Iraqi Geological Journal, pp. 52–71, May 2024.

M. H. Loke and R. D. Barker, "Least‐squares deconvolution of apparent resistivity pseudosections," GEOPHYSICS, vol. 60, no. 6, pp. 1682–1690, Nov. 1995.

E. Orellana and H. M. Mooney, Master Tables and Curves for Vertical Electrical Sounding Over Layered Structures. Madrid, Spain: Interciencia, 1966.

A. A. R. Zohdy, "The Auxiliary Point Method of Electrical Sounding Interpretation, and Its Relationship to the Dar Zarrouk Parameters," GEOPHYSICS, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 644–660, Aug. 1965.

A. A. R. Zohdy, "A new method for the automatic interpretation of Schlumberger and Wenner sounding curves," GEOPHYSICS, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 245–253, Feb. 1989.

M. Y. Fattah, A. H. S. Al-Lami, and M. Ayasrah, "Bearing Capacity of a Footing on an Expansive Unsaturated Bentonite–Sand Mixture," Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 1761–1777, May 2024.

Downloads

How to Cite

[1]
Al-Khalidy, A.A. 2025. Determining Soil Properties using Vertical Electrical Sounding: The Case Study of the Power Electrical Station Project in Al-Debony, Iraq. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research. 15, 3 (Jun. 2025), 23514–23521. DOI:https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.10751.

Metrics

Abstract Views: 22
PDF Downloads: 24

Metrics Information