Geophysical Assessment of a Proposed Landfill Site in Fredericktown, Missouri

In cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected numerous types of geophysical data at a site in Fredericktown, Missouri, in June 2018. Various geophysical surveys were collectively used to help evaluate the overall suitability of the site for use as a mine waste-soil and sediment repository, and to evaluate the suite of geophysical methods for rapid collection and preliminary assessment of sites with shallow sediments. Land-based geophysical methods, which included frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio passive seismic (HVSR), and shear-wave refraction, were used to determine the depths to crystalline bedrock and characterize the overlying unconsolidated sediments (or regolith). Water-borne FDEM profiles and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal image surveys were conducted along the Fredericktown City Lake shoreline to identify locations of potential interactions between groundwater and surface water. Sediment temperature profilers were installed at two locations along the shoreline to characterize shallow unconsolidated sediment thermal properties and support the interpretation of the other geophysical surveys. Geophysical reconnaissance methods including the FDEM and HVSR methods, were used to rapidly evaluate the vertical and lateral extent of overburden, or unconsolidated sediments, overlying the bedrock at the site. The results of these methods were compared to reference geophysical methods of ERT and shear-wave refraction surveys that have greater accuracy and are more labor intensive and time-consuming. A goal of the project was the evaluation of the validity and reliability of this suite of reconnaissance geophysical methods as a means by which shallow (less than 3 meters (m)) sediments can be rapidly assessed. Two orthogonal ERT survey profiles, which used 28 electrodes spaced 1 m apart in dipole-dipole and combined Wenner-Schlumberger configurations, were collected to determine the subsurface resistivity. The results were inverted to produce electrical resistivity profiles that were compared to the FDEM and HVSR survey results. The FDEM data were collected along cleared paths through the proposed disposal cell locations. The data were inverted to generate depth-dependent estimates of electrical conductivity along the transects. An analysis of the depth of investigation (DOI) indicated the FDEM imaged to depths of about 3 m below land surface. The ERT, FDEM, and HVSR indicated the depth to crystalline bedrock was approximately 1.5 m below land surface with shallower and deeper areas. Results from this investigation indicate this suite of methods will likely perform well at sites with shallow depths to bedrock and strong conductivity and acoustic impedance contrasts, where the FDEM and HVSR methods can provide estimates of the depth to bedrock, and ERT and shear-wave refraction surveys might not be worth the added time and expense.