Electrical resistivity tomography to address earth dams and their failure at the laboratory scale

Earth dams in Lebanon are typically used in remote agricultural areas where irrigation channels and large-scale reservoirs are not available. The use of non-invasive techniques for earth dam applications can be a significant step in the efficient monitoring of such structures, especially in Lebanon where there is substantial risk of earth dam failure. This work investigated the potential use of electrical resistivity tomographies (ERTs) in detecting dam seepage and failure using physical models at controlled laboratory conditions. It was shown that ERTs can indicate failure in such dams. Furthermore, a geostatistical investigation of these tomographies showed semivariogram analysis was successful in detecting failure and quantifying its spatial scale.