The Use of Geophysics for Sensitive Clay Investigations

Marine clay deposits in coastal, post-submarine areas of Scandinavia and North America may be subjected to quick clay landslides and hence significant efforts are being taken to map their occurrence and extent. Recently, considerable efforts by a number of researchers have been made to investigate areas of sensitive clay using a range of geophysical techniques. Although the majority of this work has focussed on measurements of electrical resistivity, other electromagnetic and seismic geophysical techniques have also received attention in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to review recent research concerning the effectiveness of a number of geophysical techniques for investigating sensitive clays. In addition to discussing a number of case studies, this review will also consider recent work showing the correlation of geophysical measurements, and in particular electrical resistivity, with a range of relevant engineering properties.