Damage Assessment of Supporting Pillars in an Underground Cave Using Joint Inversion of Electrical Resistivity and P-wave Velocity, Burgundy (France)

Abstract

This study presents an integrated approach combining seismic refraction tomography and electrical resistivity tomography to evaluate the structural integrity of supporting pillars in an underground cave in Burgundy, France. A three-phase petrophysical joint inversion (P-JIv) was performed using a finite-element model on an unstructured triangular mesh. Compared with independent inversions, the joint inversion improved spatial resolution and enhanced the consistency between the two geophysical methods. The results revealed distinct zones of electrical resistivity and P-wave velocity, reflecting variations in rock fracturing and weathering. The geophysical interpretations showed strong agreement with visual inspections and borehole logs. Furthermore, rock porosity and water content were estimated from the P-JIv results. Finally, an automated clustering procedure was used to establish a proxy indicator of pillar integrity, enabling the prioritization of cave reinforcement measures.