Seismic Early Warning Foundation Conditions Evaluation Survey for Civil Engineering Constructions in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria
V. I. Obianwu *
Department of Physics (Applied Geophysics Unit), University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
J. T. Udoh
Department of Physics (Applied Geophysics Unit), University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
A. M. George
Department of Physics (Applied Geophysics Unit), University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
N. J. George
Department of Physics, Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Seismic refraction method was used to study the rock/soil conditions for civil engineering construction in Akpabuyo Local Government Area in Cross River State, Nigeria. Akpabuyo was chosen for this research because it is a rural countryside with high potentials of future rapid increase in developmental activities due to its closeness to the State capital. The aim is to provide information on foundation materials, which would serve as an early warning data base for avoiding sites that are vulnerable to structural failures. This approach is in contradistinction to the conventional approach which seeks to find solutions to structural failures when the damage has already been done. The results of the survey show that soil/rock in most parts of the study area have good engineering strength and are suitable for the construction of civil engineering works. A few of the locations are suspected to be vulnerable to structural failure under high stress conditions, due to the anomalous values of their elastic constants, hence should be avoided if possible, otherwise detailed investigations should be carried out before any significant civil engineering work is sited there.
Keywords: Seismic refraction, early warning, elastic parameters, foundation material, engineering strength