Two-Dimensional Resistivity Imaging Survey for Detecting Termitaria in a Dam

A termite is a dangerous insect that can cause serious damage to civil structures. In southern China, termites have raised a big issue for water conservation dams. Termites cause many serious damages to earth dikes. Hidden damages, caused by long-term activity of termites, are difficult to be detected until it becomes visible, often, too late. The traditional method to find a termitarium is by tracing the path of termites through excavation. This approach itself could be destructive to dams. In this paper, a resistivity imaging survey method for detecting termitaria in a dam near Wuhan, China is presented. By analysis of the hill scale and its physical properties at the site, it is found that a geophysical survey technique is feasible for detecting termitaria with a certain size. Through theoretical analysis, modeling and field investigation, a two-dimensional electrical imaging survey scheme was proposed. The resistivity imaging survey results were confirmed by excavating the anomalous spots