Embankment dam leakage detection by joint use of Magnetic Resonance Sounding and Electrical Resistivity Imaging

Abstract Embankment dam leakage may cause devastating consequences and its early detection plays a significant role in the stability of embankment dam. Conventional dam leakage detection methods, such as piezometric tube or osmometer, are restricted by limitations of spatial distribution and high costs of instruments. This paper introduces the method of joint use of Magnetic Resonance Sounding(MRS) and Electrical Resistivity Imaging(ERI) to investigate embankment dam leakage. MRS and ERI are carried out to reveal embankment dam leakage in the same site and the stratigraphy of electrical conductivity obtained by ERI is carefully used for the inversion process of MRS data. And then the amount of groundwater in the subsurface can be directly determined by the technique of MRS. The MRS and ERI results show good consistency with yield data obtained by geological survey. Finally, the detecting capability of joint use of MRS and ERI is verified.