Seismic refraction tomography imaging of high-permeability zones beneath an earthen dam, in Zaria area, Nigeria

Within the subsurface, a few highly-permeable zones may dominate the overall flow regime, strongly influencing the seepage of water through the flanks of an earthen dam. In this paper, an attempt is made to provide a frame work for the characterization and mapping of subsurface channels for water seepage in the vicinity of dams. To obtain detailed information on these subsurface channels, Seismic refraction data were acquired along the two flanks of the dam, each with five profiles, some of which run parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the dam. The acquired data were processed with tomography inversion methods.