Comparison of site investigation borehole findings with seismic and ground penetrating radar

When site investigations realized for a new buildings people excavate the ground surface and natural structure of it becomes damaged. Drilling for site investigations aren?t represent whole region, so necessary to increase number and depth of drilling for more reliable information and this process cause increase cost of drilling. Another problem is what is the confidence limits of samples that were taken from local areas, and represent this areas not whole region. For this reason, quick and economical technologies have been developed without the disturbance of the nature of ground surface during site investigations. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and seismic methods of geophysical methods are the main technologies. It is possible to obtain information about underground in a short time and more economical with seismic refraction and GPR methods at present. Seismic refraction?s principle of it artificially formed seismic waves send to underground, and geophones recorded reflected signals that evolved as a result of the physical properties of the environment where the signal advancing. GPR is another method, work as, high frequency electromagnetic waves which are produced by transmitter antenna pass through an environment which shows dielectricty potential surface of the recorded in a device with receiver antenna and continuous profile of the underground are obtained. When GPR system is used in the field, data is obtained quickly because of its easy loading and usability. These properties of the GPR provided that it is widely used in the engineering applications. Four seismic refraction and seven GPR methods were applied in the Ege University Campus area located in the Bornova Town of the Izmir Administrative Province in the L18-a2 sheet 1/25 000 scaled topographical map sheet, in the L18a-05c 1/5 000 scaled topographical map sheet, results of them were compared with the drilling findings and each other. Dynamic properties of soil were determined as a result of the seismic studies, seismic velocity contour distribution map of the Vp and Vs belong to the 3.0, 6.0 and 10.0 meter were prepared with using the Geographical Information System (GIS). GPR results were compared with the seismic. Seismic refraction and GPR methods are discussed applicability or suitability for the site investigations. Keywords: Ground Penetrating Radar, Seismic Refraction Methods, Site Investigations, Bornova Ege University Campus.