INVESTIGATION OF SUBSURFACE LITHOLOGY IN UNIBEN UGBOWO ZONE USING 2D ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT

2-D Electrical Resistivity survey was carried out in the University of Benin, Nigeria, to investigate subsurface lithology. Three locations were studied using vertical electrical soundings (VES) with the Schlumberger array and 2-D Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) with Dipole-Dipole and Wenner arrays. The results identified four lithologies: lateritic soil, clayey sand, sand, and sandstone, with resistivity values ranging from 171 to 6675 ohm-meters. Notably, the area contains aquifer potential in its sandy lithology. This makes it suitable for construction, with the majority of the region comprising sand and clayey sand. The low resistivity sand lithology within the area can serve as a water bearing lithology (aquifer) and since the area is mostly sand and clayey sand, it is a good location for building structures.