Application of Geophysical Methods for Geotechnical Parameters Determination at New Borg El-Arab Industrial City, Egypt

Abstract

Due to a rapid increase in the population during the last few decades, the banks of the Nile River and its delta have reached maximum capacity. As a consequence of this increase, the Egyptian Government has constructed a number of new urban areas and industrial cities outside the Nile Delta. New Borg El-Arab City is one of these new industrial cities. This city is located around 60 km southwest of Alexandria City. This industrial city is proposed to include an airport, a number of factories, worker settlements and heavy truck roads. Therefore, a detailed study of site characterization should be performed before construction being in order to. The main target of this study is to determine the dynamic characteristics and geotechnical parameters at the proposed site using seismic refraction and electrical resistively techniques. Analysis and interpretation of the obtained results reveal that the subsurface consists of three layers with a gentle general slope toward the Mediterranean Sea. The classification of rock material for engineering purposes reveals that the study area is divided into three zones.