GEOPHYSICAL TECHNIQUES TO MONITOR LANDSLIDE NEAR HIGHWAY IN MALAYSIA Hussein Abdelwahab Moussa, Mohd N. M.

Nawawi, and Fouzan Ali Alfouzan. School of Physics, University Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pinang, MALAYSIA hususm@hotmail.com Abstract Two geophysical techniques, 2D electrical resistivity imaging and seismic refraction, were carried out to monitor slope failure in Kuala Lumpur Karak highway. The natural disasters that may occur suddenly due to landslides can cause loss of lives and properties by damaging roads and vehicles. The prediction of landslide before it occurs will reduce or mitigate these hazards. The results of 2D electrical resistivity imaging and seismic refraction survey show that there are three different regions made up of completely weathered gravelly clay sand, highly to moderately weathered gravelly silty sand, and unweathered boulder. Consequently, the probable factors which may trigger landslide, is the subsurface boulders above the saturated zone, which cause subsidence of the surface. The study area Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway passes through meandered area, hills and mountains and as a result slopes appear on its two sides as show in Figure 1. Moreover, this area is in a tropical zone where there is a lot of rainfall. Therefore, groundwater is very common under the slopes that will be assessed factor leading to the slope failure. The study area is located in the age Mesozoic Post-Triassic (Tectonic and igneous activity) which was responsible for the position of the Main Range granite batholith (mass of igneous rock pressed between sedimentary rocks) and also of the major Bentom intrusion (or called Older Arenaceous Series that consist of a mixed sequence of partly metamorphosed argillaceous and prominently arenaceous sediments with included lenticels of a pebbly facies). In the study area [6] the rocks near the surface and often to great depths beneath are affected by weathering because of the hot humid tropical climatic common conditions in the Malay Peninsula where almost everywhere the granite mass is covered by soil and alluvium, and usually is affected by pronounced tropical weathering. However, exposures of hard unweathered granite are seen along the stream bed and on excessively steep hilly slopes, but may be widely spaced.

Causes of slope failure Slope failure can be caused by a number of factors. Some of these factors are slope angle, vegetation, and overloading of materials, poorly consolidated material, the rocks dipping in the same direction as the slope and the amount of water in rock or soil. Methods The 2D electrical resistivity and seismic refraction methods are geophysical methods which are noninvasive employed to map subsurface structure which can be used to monitor slope failure. The survey has to done to monitor the subsurface parameters which may trigger the slope failure. Resistivity measurements are based on the difference of resistivity values between different sub-surface materials. The 2D electrical imaging survey is employed in the proposed site with ABEM SAS4000 multi electrodes system. The data collected from resistivity method in the survey was interpreted by using RES2DINV 2-D inversion software. The seismic refraction method is based on the property of seismic waves to refract (or be bent) when they travel from one medium to another of different density or elasticity. The velocity of wave transmission changes as it enters another material with different elastic properties. The seismic refraction employed with ABEM Terraloc MK6 system. The data collected from seismic refraction in the survey was interpreted by using Optim software.

Aim of the study The aim of the study was to map detailed images of the subsurface of the slopes above and under KL-Karak highway by using the 2D imaging resistivity method and seismic refraction method. The details parameter to be mapped is the hidden causal factors like the amount and movement of water or other materials in the subsurface. It is hoped that the resistivity imaged of the slopes structure will aid in the prediction of failure of the slope before it occurred.

Procedure In this investigation, four resistivity and seismic survey lines were carried on the site (Figure 2). The distance between each embankment is 8.5m. The spacing between line 1 and line 2 is 25.5

m. The spacing between line 2 and line 3 is 30 m and the spacing between line 3 and line 4 is 20 m. The length of lines is 160 m. the two methods have applied on all four lines at same time. Results The inversion results along the four lines are shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6. Four different resistivity ranges can be distinguished. The very low resistivity values less than 40 m is interpreted as saturated soil, firm clay and silt, sand, gravels (Rosli Saad et al., 2008) where the resistivity of clay is 0.1-10 m and of sand is 10- 30 m. (1-100 m) is interpreted as cavities which is filled by groundwater. Moreover, it is clear in the inversion mode to see dry sand with relatively high resistivity (200- 600 m). The resistivity value between 100 m to 2000 m is due to the weathered material such as weathered granite and the high resistivity up to 2000 m is indicate to granite boulders or bed rock . The seismic refraction results have four different velocities (1, 2, 3, and 4 Km/s) where high velocity interpreted as granite and low velocity interpreted as saturated sand. Conclusion The results show it is useful to combine different geophysical methods to reduce disadvantage each method and to confirm the result. The 2D electrical resistivity produce clearer image but the seismic result did not identify all the anomalies as show in resistivity because of noise ????? is by vehicles movement on the road . In general the result show that there are critical area where the area can trigger landslide like big boulder floating on sliding saturated layer or cavities fill by water.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This work was funded by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Science Fund Grant (Project No. 03-01-05-SF0287).The first Author is under university Sain Malaysia Fellowship

Study area

Figure 1: Location and Geological map of study area

Line 1

To Karak

48.8 Km 48.8

48.6 Km 48.6

To KL

Line 2 Line 3

Line 4

Figure 2: Sketch of location the four pseudosection lines on the site investigation

Line 1

-10 m

2D electrical Resistivity Topography

-20 m -30 m

-10 m

Seismic Refraction Topography

-20 m -30 m

Line 2

-10 m

-20 m 2D electrical Resistivity Topography -30 m

-10 m

-20 m

Line 3

Seismic Refraction Topography

-30 m

-10 m

-20 m 2D electrical Resistivity Topography -30 m

-10 m

-20 m Seismic Refraction Topography -30 m

Line 4
m

-10 m

2D electrical Resistivity Topography

-20 m -30 m

-10 m

Seismic Refraction Topography

-20 m -30 m

Low Resistivity Saturated Sand Low Velocity Seismic Refraction Legend Sand Weather Granite

High Resistivity Granite High Velocity 2D electrical Resistivity Legend