Investigation of Near Surface Buried Structures Using GPR and Resistivity Methods: A Case Study

Ground water, cavities, and isolate buried structures embedded at shallow depths are well detectable by resistivity and GPR methods because of distinct contrast in their electric and electromagnetic properties in comparison with their surrounding media. In this research work, 3 different profiles on such targets have been chosen, and their responses have been investigated. Using both resistivity and GPR methods together, it has also been possible to investigate capabilities and limitations of the methods in practice. The results obtained from this research work indicate that the GPR method, in addition to its speed and simplicity in data acquisition, is very successful in detection of interfaces or boundaries between different media in which electromagnetic properties at the boundaries change rapidly. The resistivity surveys, which have been carried out using Wenner array in this study, indicate low resistivity of the media under investigation. The low resistivity of the subsurface media caused the depth of penetration of the GPR method to be low, and as a result, made it impossible to investigate the targets buried at depths greater than 2 meters. Unlike the GPR method, the resistivity method has not been very successful in detection of multiple targets with high resistivity contrasts. Lower resolution of the resistivity method in comparison with GPR method has caused this problem. In this study, considerable information has been obtained by selecting two different processing algorithms and applying them on a series of raw GPR dataset. The obtained information from the resistivities of the subsurface structures as a result of the resistivity surveys has made it possible to choose and apply these processing algorithms. This research work well indicates that high conductive areas in resistivity sections coincide with the areas in the GPR sections having intensive attenuation. This characteristic can be used well in the interpretation of the GPR sections. Finally the resistivity method can be introduced as a suitable supplementary geophysical method to the GPR method.