Electrical Resistivity Tomography: Principles

This is an increasingly used geophysical survey technique in which vertical electrical resistivity sections are generated tomographically from measurements along a linear array of equally spaced electrodes inserted at the ground surface. The array is multiplexed to a resistivity meter which gathers one set of all possible independent apparent resistivity measurements. The software then uses complex processing algorithms to generate a geophysical section or profile. The closer the electrode spacing, the more detailed the image of the sub-surface can be generated, but at the expense of a lower penetration depth.An electrical resistivity section from the MRS survey at Cloonfree moated site, Co Roscommon. This section (across south moat) indicates the depth and form of the bank material and the probable depth of the moat

The Discovery Programme does not have the equipment to undertake this type of geophysical survey but it has been applied by geophysical specialists on selected projects.