Shallow Landslide Site Characterization using Electrical Resistivity Technique (ERT) at Balukhali Rohingya Refugee Camps of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

As the geotechnical investigation is a challenging task due to natural heterogeneity and the limited data so the cheap surface geoelectric resistivity method is widely applied to know the complex subsurface information. To produce the electrical images for a site located at Balukhali Rohingya Refugee Camps area in Ukhiya-Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a field data acquisition technique along with RES2DINV software has been performed. Two Wenner soundings on the 25 m and 50 m image lines at every 1 m and 2 m electrode spacing respectively reveal the shallow subsurface lithological variations. On the other hand, 34 samples were collected from two boreholes at different depths and tested under field and laboratory conditions to measure some basic geotechnical properties such as moisture content, grain size distribution, liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index, and specific gravity. These geotechnical parameters were compared with the constructed electrical images and confirmed the significance of the electrical resistivity values. Therefore, the geoelectrical resistivity method can be applied as an additional tool to support and enhance conventional geotechnical interpretation purposes as well as shallow landslide site characterization in Bangladesh.