Characterization of Soil Stability to Withstand Erection of High-Rise Structure Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography

In this paper, we used the Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) technique to examine the suitability of the subsurface for its ability to withstand erection of a proposed high-rise structure in Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, Nigeria. The Wenner array was used for the ERT survey, with the varying electrode separations of 1.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 8.0 m respectively, and the electrode increment of 5.0 m across the three (3) traverses that were established in the study area. The traverses were of distance 100 m each, with W-E orientation that would enable the subsurface imaging of the study area. The subsurface features experienced in the study area were topsoil/laterites, weathered layer, clayey zone, and bedrock. The inverse model along traverses 1 and 2 revealed that the clayey zones beneath these traverses are very thick, which showed that the study area was unsuitable for construction of high-rise building without the certified building engineers' advice.