Geoelectrical Measurements

We present 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy), to date only partially explored. The archaeological importance of the cave is due to the presence of a rich Mousterian layer, traces of Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) temporary occupations and an Early Mesolithic burial of a female newborn. ERT is rarely employed in Palaeolithic cave contexts because Palaeolithic remains are typically disseminated in loose deposits and either do not possess high electrical resistivity contrasts or are too small to be detected. Furthermore, some issues can derive from the confined environment in caves. In this view, our study represents an opportunity to assess the capability of this geophysical method to retrieve subsurface information of Palaeolithic cave deposits and create a framework for the improvement of ERT applications in such a peculiar cave context. The aim of this study was to define the features of ...

Non-destructive tests are strongly required in engineering applications for monitoring civil structures. The use of compared and integrated innovative approaches based on geophysical methodologies represents an effective tool for the characterization and monitoring of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Therefore, the main aim of the work was to improve the knowledge on the potentiality and limitations of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) with electrodes disposed both on the surface and in the boreholes. The work approach was adopted on an analog model of a reinforced concrete frame built ad hoc at the Hydrogeosite Laboratory (CNR-IMAA), where simulated experiments on full-size physical models are defined. Results show the ability of an accurate use of GPR to reconstruct the rebar dispositions and detect in detail possible constructive defects, both highlighting the lack of reinforcements into the nodes and providing useful information about the safety assessment of the realized structure. The results of the ERT method defined the necessity to develop ad-hoc electrical resistivity methods to support the characterization and monitoring of buried foundation structures for civil engineering applications. Finally, the paper introduces a new approach based on the use of cross-hole ERTs (CHERTs) for the engineering