Field and laboratory resistivity monitoring of sediment consolidation in Chinaʹs Yellow River estuary

Traditional methods for in situ monitoring of the dynamic physical process within marine sediments are not efficient and effective enough, and determination of the consolidation state of marine sediments in the Yellow River estuary remains a challenging problem. However, the recent development of in situ testing technology for resistivity methodology creates new possibilities. Our combined analysis of laboratory and field experimental results demonstrates the consolidation process and the contemporaneous physical, mechanical and electrical properties of marine sediments in the Yellow River estuary, and we discuss the feasibility of and that influence in situ monitoring of the sediment consolidation process using a multi-electrode probe. These results demonstrate that resistivity is a good indirect predictor of porosity, which is the primary factor affecting resistivity behavior during the consolidation process. Values for empirical constants a and m for Yellow River estuary sediment can be obtained based on Archieʹs formula. The relationship between resistivity and the geotechnical strength of silty sediments in the Yellow River estuary shows that the penetration resistance (determined by a light penetration test) and undrained shear strength (determined by a vane shear test) are closely correlated to resistivity with a power function during the consolidation process of a uniform-originated seabed. This study confirms that resistivity monitoring using a multi-electrode probe is a relevant method to estimate the degree and state of sediment consolidation in real time and in situ. More work is needed to investigate the implications of this for the prediction and prevention of geological disasters in estuarine areas.