Resistivity and Seismic Characterization of an Embankment Dam. A Case Study in Northern Sweden

Abstract: The main cause of failure in embankment dams - which represent 75% of all dams in the world (ICOLD, 2018) - is the internal erosion produced by excessive seepage not accounted for in their designs. This erosion can cause that a small anomalous structure, not likely to be considered as risky, turns rapidly into a significant structural damage if not recognized on time. This creates a necessity for methods that can detect these anomalies in a non-intrusive, cost-effective and sensitive way. The purpose of this work is to analyse the strength of three geophysical methods (ERT and Seismic Refraction and Reflection) in detecting and accurately localizing anomalous structures inside an embankment dam. This study has been successfully approached in two different ways: by synthetic modelling and by an experimental field work at an embankment dam in northern Sweden. The results show that these methods are capable of detecting different structures in the interior of the dam in an accurate and rapid manner.