Author(s)

Ruobai Zhao^1*, Neil Anderson¹, David Rogers¹, Evgeniy Torgashov¹, Jing Sun²

¹Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, USA.
²Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, USA.

Electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired in proximity to the coal combustion residual landfill in an effort to image and analyze seepage pathways through the shallow residual soil and underlying karsted limestone bedrock. The water table is at a depth of more than 45 m. The most prominent subsurface seepage pathways identified on the acquired electrical resistivity tomography data are located immediately adjacent to the toe of the landfill and are attributed to stormwater run-off. The moisture content of the limestone appears to decrease gradually with increasing distance from the toe of the landfill, suggesting there is also a horizontal component of moisture flow in the subsurface. Shallow limestone with higher moisture content generally underlies or is in close proximity to anthropogenic features such as drainage ditches and clay berms that are designed to channel run-off. At one location, electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired along essentially the same traverse at different times of the year, and the resistivity of shallow limestone overall was lower on the data acquired after heavy rains.

Coal Ash, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Seepage, Solid Waste Landfill, Geophysical Methods, Coal Combustion Residual (CCR)

Zhao, R. , Anderson, N. , Rogers, D. , Torgashov, E. and Sun, J. (2021) Mapping Subsurface Seepage Flow Patterns in Proximity to a Coal Combustion Residual Landfill Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 9, 144-157. doi: 10.4236/gep.2021.92009.