Geoelectrical Imaging for Aggregate Quality Investigations

In the aggregate industry the use of geophysical measuring is rare. The aim of this project is to investigate how geophysical instruments can be a tool in prospecting for rock quarries, and also how they can be a help in which direction they should expand in. To have control over the quality of the aggregates is important and therefore to know when the rock mass is changing is of interest for the production. Three quarries, with different properties, were investigated with different geophysical methods, of which only the result from the resistivity and IP measurement is presented here. The fracture frequency was measured as well for comparison. The depth to the bedrock is visible in the inverted resistivity sections for the three sites, and an estimation of the quantity of the till is possible to make from the 3D-inversions. It is also shown that the fracture frequency affects the resistivity of the bulk mass. The results also show that the resistivity imaging is well suited for detecting anomalies in the rock mass, which might affect the production. This is especially clear in one of the quarries where a dolerite dyke is clearly visible in the combined resistivity and IP results.