Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Modeling Earth Systems and Environment https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-01001-7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE An integrated geophysical approach for post foundation studies at Edunabon town, southwestern Nigeria Olukole Adedeji Akinbiyi 1  · Oluseun Adetola Sanuade 2  · Adesoji O. Akanji 3  · AbdulGaniyu Isah 1  · John Lazarus Ugwoke 1  · Olayiwola Grace Olaseeni 4 Received: 14 July 2020 / Accepted: 8 October 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 Abstract An integration of geophysical methods including electrical resistivity and seismic refraction was used to investigate the possible causes of the cracks observed on some buildings at Edunabon, southwestern Nigeria. A total of three 2D electri- cal resistivity imaging (ERI) traverses and eight vertical electrical sounding (VES) were acquired using dipole–dipole and Schlumberger electrode confgurations, respectively. The 2D ERI and VES data were processed and inverted to obtain the subsurface models. Seismic refraction data were also acquired along eight traverses using a 24-channel ABEM seismograph with geophone spread of 2 m, and integrated with electrical resistivity data, to adequately delineate the geomaterials respon- sible for the localized structural defects in the area. The results of electrical resistivity method revealed four geoelectric layers including topsoil, clayey material, weathered basement and fractured/fresh basement. However, the geosection models of seismic refraction revealed two geophysical layers (overburden and basement bedrock) with characteristics that corroborate the electrical resistivity results. The overburden has an average velocity and thickness of 405 m/s and 7.1 m, respectively, which is diagnostic of weak/unconsolidated materials, presumably clayey material. The integrated results revealed that the observed cracks on the buildings may be due to the foundation soil that is composed of incompetent materials (clayey mate- rials) which may compress under diferential efective stress. This study shows that the integration of geophysical methods can identify the causes of the diferential subsidence of engineering structures. Keywords Electrical resistivity · Geoelectric · Refraction · Overburden · Structural defects Introduction The incessant building collapse in Nigeria has reached an alarming rate, and there is urgent need to enforce appropri- ate laws that would guide the building or civil construction industries. In fact, hundreds of buildings have collapsed in Nigeria within the last decade where lives and properties have been lost, with the highest rate of building collapse occurring between the year 2014 and 2016 (Odeyemi et al. 2019). Building failures have been attributed to either natural or man-made phenomena. For example, structural failures can occur due to poor workmanship, use of quacks as profes- sionals, non-compliance to building codes and construction (Oke 2011; Odeyemi et al. 2019). In addition, structural fail- ures can occur due to lack of enough knowledge about the foundation soil, presence of sinkholes/cavities and faults in the subsurface (Oyedele et al. 2009; Fajana 2020). Proper construction and design of engineering structures can only be attained if the characteristics of the subsurface is well- known (Oladunjoye et al. 2017; Fajana 2020; Oyeyemi et al. 2020). Hence, it is important to investigate the physical con- ditions of the subsoil/foundation soil and to determine its suitability for the design and construction of structures prior to building construction. Geophysical methods are suitable for this purpose as they provide information about the lateral and vertical variation of engineering properties of the foundation soil and generate * Oluseun Adetola Sanuade sheunsky@gmail.com 1 Department of Geological Technology, Federal Polytechnic Ede, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria 2 Boone Pickens School of Geology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA 3 Exploration, A-S Lionbridge Resources, Lagos, Lagos 100264, Nigeria 4 Department of Geophysics, Federal University Oye Ekiti, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria