Geophysics for slope stability

A pre-requisite in slope stability analyses is that the internal structure and the mechanical properties of the soil or rock mass of the slope, are known or can be estimated with a reasonable degree of certainty. Geophysical methods to determine the internal structure of a soil or rock mass may be used for this purpose. Various geophysical methods and their merits for slope stability analyses are discussed. Seismic methods are often the most suitable because the measurements depend on the mechanical properties that are also important in the mechanical calculation of slope stability analyses. Other geophysical methods, such as electromagnetic, electric resistivity, self-potential, and gravity methods, may be useful to determine the internal structure, but require a correlation of found boundaries with mechanical properties.