Geophysical site assessment of an active urban development site, South Eastern Suburb of Cairo, Egypt

Medhat, N. I.; Atya, M.; Ragab, E. A.; El-Kenawy, A. A.; Abdel Zaher, M.; Pringle, Jamie

doi:10.1144/qjegh2018-151

Geophysical site assessment of an active urban development site, South Eastern Suburb of Cairo, Egypt

Medhat, N. I.; Atya, M.; Ragab, E. A.; El-Kenawy, A. A.; Abdel Zaher, M.; Pringle, Jamie

Authors

N. I. Medhat

M. Atya

E. A. Ragab

A. A. El-Kenawy

M. Abdel Zaher

Dr Jamie Pringle j.k.pringle@keele.ac.uk

Abstract

There has been significant structural damage of newly-built residential buildings in Quarter-27 District in the South of Cairo, Egypt. The proximity of an active limestone quarry may also be affecting ground stability. This paper shows how a near-surface geophysics survey could characterize the site, unusually after the initial housing construction had already been undertaken. Geophysical surveys included seismic refraction (acquired between phases of quarry blasting), electrical resistivity and ground penetrating radar 1D and 2D datasets. Geophysical results produced maps of a 3D ground model that also included water table depth, known major faults and a saturated layer that may have caused the building damage. ERT and GPR data was deemed optimal of the geophysical techniques trialled. This study shows that it is possible to undertake geophysical surveys to characterize a restricted urban site development.

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	May 22, 2020
Online Publication Date	Jun 1, 2020
Publication Date	Jul 15, 2020
Publicly Available Date	May 26, 2023
Journal	Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Print ISSN	1470-9236
Publisher	The Geological Society
Volume	54
Issue	1
Article Number	ARTN qjegh2018-151
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2018-151
Publisher URL	https://qjegh.lyellcollection.org/content/early/2020/05/27/qjegh2018-151/tab-article-info