DETECTION OF SOLUTION CHANNELS IN LIMESTONE BY ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY METHOD*

The results of geophysical surveys carried out in the Kopili Hydel Project site in the United North Cachar and Mikir Hills district, Assam, to locate and trace underground caverns in limestone are presented. Electrical resistivity observations over known limestone caverns showed significant anomalies (high resistivity). In the course of the systematic electrical resistivity survey conducted at the eastern fringe of the Umrong basin to study the competency of the proposed reservoir, a number of indications of possible caverns in limestone were obtained and a few of them have been verified by drilling. An analysis of the electrical resistivity data also suggests that the deep seated caverns are aligned along an axis trending NNW-SSE, which may represent a zone of weakness– presumably a fault–that has influenced the formation of the caverns in preferred direction. Drilling over a few of the geophysical indications have corroborated the presence of a fault along the eastern fringe of the Umrong basin.     

SEISMIC REFRACTION METHOD TO STUDY THE FOUNDATION ROCK OF A DAM*

Dynamic elastic moduli like E, μ, K and μ of the foundation rock of a dam have been determined by finding V_p- and V_s-velocities by seismic refraction with a hammer as source. Some parameters such as “fracture frequency” and “rock quality designation” (RQD) of the foundation rock have been derived using “average regression curves” and V_p-velocities. By comparing K/μ with V_p/V_s, a few locations showing weathered conditions have been demarcated. This compares well with RQD values of those locations.