Fortschritte in der angewandten Wissenschaftsforschung Offener Zugang

Abstrakt

Estimation of overburden thickness of industrial estate Ogbomoso, Southwestern Nigeria

*Theophilus Aanuoluwa Adagunodo and Lukman Ayobami Sunmonu

Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) geophysical method was used to delineate Oyo State Industrial Estate, Ogbomoso South Local Government Area, Southwestern Nigeria. The study area falls within latitude 080 06′ 07.4″ and 080 06′ 25.4″ and longitude 0040 15′ 03.3″ and 0040 15′ 49.0″. The research was conducted with a view to estimating the overburden thickness and to know the competent zones with respect to engineering purpose in the study area. Ten Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) were carried out across the area using the schlumberger electrode array configuration with current electrode separation (AB) varying from 130m to 200m. Nine out of the ten modeled curves were H-type where the remaining one was KH-type. The geoelectric sections obtained from the sounding curves revealed 3-layer and 4-layer earth models respectively. The models showed the subsurface layers categorized into the topsoil/first layer, second layer, third layer (which only revealed beneath one VES station), and the last layer (which is either fractured basement or fresh bedrock). Areas with thick overburden and those with fractured basement are the areas that factories making use of heavy machines should not be built on it. This is because the continual vibration of the heavy machines might cause subsidence in the factories in the future which might lead to loss of life and properties.