Geotechnical Prospects and Electrical Tomography to Study Slope Instability in the Rif Alboran Sea Shoreline on the Mediterranean By-Road (Northern Morocco)

Abstract

The traffic along the Mediterranean ring road in northern Morocco is permanently disrupted by ground movements. Several sections of the road are not available during the rainy period. The slopes and hillsides that were excavated and remodelled during the construction of the roadway have become unstable and are subject to important landslides. In the presented study, the authors focused on the section of road located at kilometre point PK 176+800 between Oued Laou and Jebha City. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of instability of the studied slope, in the present and also predict it in the future. In situ and laboratory geotechnical tests as well as geophysical investigations based on Electrical Tomography were carried out to complement the geomatic analyses performed by the research team. The results obtained testify to the effectiveness of the methodology adopted and confirm the threatening instability of the slope studied, in particularly at landslide area.