Establishing a near-surface geophysical testing laboratory For Visualizing Subsoil Structure Using Geo-electrical methods

Abstract Near-surface geophysics uses the investigational methods of geophysics to study the nature of the outermost part of the earth’s crust. Man interacts with this part of the earth’s crust: he walks on it; he drills and excavates into it; he constructs structures on and in it; he utilizes its water and mineral resources, and his wastes are stored on and in it and seep into it.Near-surface geophysics investigations include numerous and varied application areas and both basic and applied research in support of those applications (National Research Council, 2000). These application areas are characterized by various descriptors, e.g., engineering, geotechnical, environmental, groundwater, mining, archaeological, and forensic. Some typical examples of these application areas are Engineering and geotechnical geophysics, Environmental, Groundwater exploration, Mining, Archaeological prospecting, and Forensic research.The near-surface geophysics application areas listed above are characterized and distinguished by their shallow depths of investigation or interest requirements for high resolution, both vertically and horizontally. The near-surface geophysics application requires extensive laboratory execution, which may help in planning fieldwork and instrumental testing. Lastly, confirmation, verification, or validation of filed results are needed for interpretation and presentation that are subject to public health and safety concerns and constrained by legal and regulatory considerations.The aim of our research is to establish a testing lab for experimental geophysical measurements. Geophysical laboratory measurements provide information on the physical properties of bedrock and soil. These measurements and tests are vital for geophysical interpretation and modeling. The lab can also be used to demonstrate various near-surface geophysical applications to geology students, and provide a good simulation environment for various geophysical applications, which has been mentioned in the previous section. In this work, we will focus on how establishing a testing lab for resistivity measurements.