USE OF ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY FOR SINKHOLE HAZARD ASSESSMENT AT TAYLOR FORK ECOLOGICAL AREA

Electric resistivity tomography (ERT) is the most suitable choice for assessing the risk and development of subsurface structures such as sinkholes. Traditional geotechnical methods prove either too challenging to use for subsurface research or provide an incomplete data set. The main principle of ERT is to inject an electrical current between series of two electrodes and measuring the potential difference between them. Using this information and an inversion, you can get a pseudo-image of the electrical properties of the subsurface. ERT was conducted using an AGI Supersting R1, using 28 electrodes with one meter and both a dipole-dipole and Schlumberger array.

Taylor Fork Ecological Area (TFEA) is a 60 acre site near the main EKU campus in Richmond, Kentucky. TFEA is home to a significant number of sinkholes in and around the perimeter, with an unknown number of others. The Division of Natural Areas at EKU is planning to build a pavilion very near the TFEA. The specific area houses a dilapidated barn that will be restored for the purposes of this pavilion. It is primarily composed of old cattle pasture, with lines of trees along the outer fencing and woody patches in the interior. The geology of Taylor Fork is typical for the region, located in the Upper Ordovician Ashlock Formation, containing a moderate probability for karst development. To assess the safety and validity of the restoration, we survey for the potential presence of sinkholes in several areas around and inside the barn.