1. Shallow geophysical techniques to investigate the groundwater table at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
- Author
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Sharafeldin, Sharafeldin M., Essa, Khalid S., Youssef, Mohamed A. S., Karsli, Hakan, Diab, Zein E., and Sayil, Nilgun
- Subjects
SEISMIC wave velocity ,GROUND penetrating radar ,GROUNDWATER ,GEOPHYSICAL surveys ,WATER table ,ELECTRICAL resistivity ,PYRAMIDS - Abstract
The near-surface groundwater aquifer that threatened the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, was investigated using integrated geophysical surveys. A total of 10 electrical resistivity imaging, 26 shallow seismic refraction, and 19 ground-penetrating radar surveys were conducted in the Giza Plateau. Collected data for each method were evaluated by state-of-the art processing and modeling techniques. A three-layer model depicts the subsurface layers and better delineates the groundwater aquifer and water table elevation. The resistivity of the aquifer layer and seismic velocity vary between 40 and 80 Ω m and between 1500 and 2500 m s -1 , respectively. The average water table elevation is about + 15 m, which is safe for the Great Sphinx, but it is still subjected to potential hazards from the Nazlet El-Samman suburb where the water table elevation reaches 17 m. A shallower water table at the Valley Temple and the tomb of Queen Khentkawes, with a low topographic relief, represents severe hazards. It can be concluded that a perched groundwater table is detected in the elevated topography to the west and southwest that might be due to runoff and capillary seepage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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