Thesis Abstract

Municipal solid waste disposal sites can be sources of groundwater contamination and the contamination problems are more likely to occur in humid areas, where the moisture available exceeds the ability of the waste pile absorb water. 2-D resistivity imaging has frequently been used in the subsurface pollution studies. The method maps the distribution of resistivity of subsurface materials. The 2-D resistivity image provides general information on subsurface stratification of buried waste and contaminated soil, as well the depth to the bedrock below the lines of traverse. Underground soil or water that has been contaminated by leachate usually has a significantly lower resistivity value. This paper discusses the results of the 2-D resistivity imaging which were conducted to identify and delineate the extent of contaminated soil and leachate plumes, as well as to assess the capability of the 2-D resistivity imaging as a pre-characterization tool for tracing the properties of disposed waste and its severity underneath a capped landfill sites. The surveys were conducted using ABEM SAS1000 resistivity meter and LUND Automatic imaging system and the measured resistivity profiles were interpreted using 2-D resistivity inversion programme (RES2DINV).

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