Integrated geophysical and geotechnical study of a section of the Secchia levee in Cavezzo (MO)

Evaluating the structural health of river embankments typically relies on isolated geotechnical boreholes. This thesis introduces a spatial framework for Levee Integrity Imaging at the Secchia River in Cavezzo by combining field geophysics with direct laboratory soil testing. Using multi-line Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data alongside precise surface topography, a continuous structural model of the levee is generated utilizing 3D Resistivity Inversion. This electrical model is then directly correlated with co-located geotechnical parameters—specifically grain size distributions and Atterberg limits (liquid and plastic limits)—derived from local core samples such as SPC1 and TC2. The project bridges the gap between localized physical soil measurements and large-scale 3D resistivity grids. The resulting unified model successfully upscales punctual data to improve the spatial mapping of internal levee materials and assess potential structural vulnerabilities.