Arab J Geosci
DOI 10.1007/s12517-013-1078-z
ORIGINAL PAPER
Application of MASW in road failure investigation
E. A. Ayolabi & R. B. Adegbola
Received: 28 July 2012 / Accepted: 22 August 2013
# Saudi Society for Geosciences 2013
Abstract Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW)
survey was conducted to measure shear wave velocities in
order to ascertain the likely causes of road failure along
LASU-IBA expressway in Alimosho local government area,
Lagos, Nigeria. MASW data were acquired along the express
road. The acquired dataset was processed and transformed
into two-dimensional structure reflective of depth and surface
wave velocity distribution within a depth of investigation
using SurfSeis software. The MASW shear wave velocity
data were compared to geophysical data that was acquired
along the same profile. The comparison was also done with
geotechnical data that had been acquired prior to the study
some meters away from the study area. The correlation be-
tween N values to measured shear wave velocity using
MASW was generated. The comparison illustrates the accu-
racy and consistency of MASW-derived shear wave velocity
profiles. We concluded that (1) the low-velocity region that
varies between 100 and 250 m/s at surface down to 4 m
beneath the surface is characterized by loose/peat materials
and may have been responsible for the road failure within the
study area; this region depicts a very loose compaction area.
(2) The MASW technique is a time–cost-effective tool for
obtaining reliable shear wave velocity profiles, and (3) the
MASW is particularly attractive in areas that cannot be readily
assessed by other geophysical and geotechnical tools.
Keywords MASW . Alimosho . SurfSeis . Shear wave
velocity . N values
E. A. Ayolabi (*)
Department of Geosciences, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
e-mail: eojelabi@yahoo.com
R. B. Adegbola
Department of Physics, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria
e-mail: Adegbolaji@yahoo.com
Introduction
Seismic refraction methods have been extensively used in
petroleum, mineral, and engineering investigation and to some
extent for hydrogeologic applications. During the past years,
advances in equipment, sound sources, and computer inter-
pretation techniques make seismic refraction method highly
effective and economical for obtaining data for subsurface
modeling studies (Haeni 1986).
Imai and Tonouchi (1982) studies P- and S-wave
velocities in an embankment and also in alluvial, diluvia,
and tertiary layers, showing that S-wave velocities in
such deposits correspond to the N value (Craig 1992)
an index value of formation hardness used in soil me-
chanics and foundation engineering.
Surface waves are guided and dispersive. Rayleigh waves
are surface waves that travel along a free surface, such as the
earth–air interface (Jianghai et al. 1999).
Ground motions parameters at the surface are generally
obtained by conducting ground response analyses considering
only the upward propagating shear waves. Hence, shear wave
velocity (Vs) is one of the most important input parameter to
represent the stiffness of the soil layers. Surface wave tech-
niques are simple and efficient tools to measure shear wave
velocity in the field as compare to other in situ methods
Thaker and Rao (2011).
S-wave velocity can be derived from inverting the disper-
sive phase velocity of the surface wave (Dorman and Ewing
1962; Aki and Richards 1980; Mari 1984).
Nazartian et al. (1983) and Stokoe and Nazarian (1985)
present a surface-wave method called spectral analysis of
surface waves that analyzes the dispersion curve of ground
roll to produce near-surface S-wave velocity profiles.
Park et al. (1996) introduced the multichannel analysis of
surface waves using Vibroseis method, which successfully
produces broadband ground roll.

A wide variety of field techniques and tests were available
for the estimation of the shear modulus of soils. There were
several seismic methods, which involve the measurement and
interpretation of waveforms at different points on the earth’s
surface and represent noninvasive and nondestructive field
techniques.
The multichannel analysis of surface wave technique in-
troduced by Park et al. (1996) is a seismic method that uses the
dispersive characteristics of Rayleigh-type surface waves to
determine the variation of the shear wave velocity of layered
systems with depth. The MASW is very attractive due to
relatively low acquisition, processing, and interpretation costs.
MASW data can also be acquired in an area inaccessible to
drill rigs and at depth or in soils that cannot be tested using
conventional SCPT technologies.
MASW is a fast method of evaluating near-surface shear
wave velocity, Vs profile due to the coverage of the entire range
of investigation depth by one, or a few generation of ground roll
without changing receiver configuration (Chik et al. 2011).
The main advantage of the MASW method is its ability to
take a full account of the complicated nature of seismic waves
that always contain higher modes of surface waves, body
waves, scattered waves, and traffic waves. Incorporating
multi-station receivers and 2-D wave field transformation
improves inherent difficulties in evaluating signal from noise
with only a pair of receivers (Ivanov et al. 2005; Zhang et al.
2003; Ayolabi and Adegbola 2011).
Electrical resistivity technique is used in shallow investi-
gations due to the fact that in shallow investigations only small
electrode configurations are used, which are required to im-
proved the lateral resolution and reduce the effect of lateral
lithological heterogeneities (Khalil et al. 2012).
Recently, a study was carried out along LASU-IBA ex-
pressway, Alimosho local government area, Lagos State, Ni-
geria (Fig. 1) to investigate the likely cause of road failure that
occurred (Fig. 2) using multichannel analysis of surface wave.
2-D electrical resistivity was also carried out along the same
profile as supporting and constraining method. By combining
these two nondestructive geophysical methods supported by
available borehole data, inference was drawn on the possible
causes of road failure in the area.
Surface wave phase velocities were determined from the
analysis of MASW field data obtained from active MASW
method. These phase velocities were inverted and used to
generate vertical shear wave velocity profiles with maximum
depth of about 15 m. The calculated MASW shear wave
velocity profiles were compared to other geophysical method.
Geology and geomorphology of the study area
Lagos is basically a sedimentary area located within the
Western Nigeria coastal zone; a zone of coastal creeks and
Arab J Geosci
lagoons developed by barrier beaches associated with sand
deposition. The subsurface geology reveals two basic litholo-
gies clay and sand deposits. These deposits may be
interbedded in places with sandy clay or clayey sand and
occasionally with vegetable remains and peat (Ayolabi and
Peter, 2005).
Alimosho local government area formally under Ojo local
government area is covered by mangrove forest, raffia palm
trees, scrub, scattered cultivated areas, and stilt rooted trees.
The tall grasses and woody plants cover the sandy plains. The
main relief features of the area are the low-lying nature of its
terrain; more than half of the entire area has an elevation of
between 3 and 6 m high above the sea level (Odewunmi
1995).
It is identified that the geology is made up of sedimentary
rock mostly of alluvial deposits. These consist of loose and
light gray sand mixed variously with varying proportion of
vegetation matter on the lowland, while the reddish and brown
loamy soil exists in the upland.
Geotechnical investigation
The SPT test was carried out prior to the geophysical studies at
a site about 300 m away from the study area. The purpose of
the investigation was to determine the nature and type of
subsoil material, provide relevant geotechnical information,
and make appropriate recommendations that could aid in the
design of suitable and economic foundation for mini water-
works structural element. The scope of the work involves
carrying out in situ sounding test, using 2.5-t capacity Dutch
cone penetrometer and drilling of an exploratory hole to a
depth of 30.0 m. The standard penetration test was carried out
at about 1.5-m depth intervals, particularly in cohesionless
materials. The test involves obtaining the number of blows
(N values) producing the last 300 mm of penetration of a
50 mm outside diameter split spoon sampler in connection
with an overall 450-mm penetration test by a 65 kg hammer
free falling through 760 mm.
However, for analysis purposes, the subsoil has been
grouped into zonal generalized stratification pattern as shown
in Table 1.
Basic principles of MASW method
The MASW is a nondestructive method, which analyzes
dispersion properties of certain types of seismic surface waves
(fundamental-mode Rayleigh waves) to determine how the
shear wave velocity of a layered subsurface varies with depth.
The fundamental framework of the MASW method is based
on the multichannel recording and analyses approach long
used in seismic exploration surveys.
Arab J Geosci
Fig. 1 Map of Alimosho local
government area in Lagos State
MASW field measurement in the study area
Field measurements were conducted using the ABEM
Terraloc portable 24-channel seismograph with seismological
geophones. Data were acquired about 10 m away from the
failed road because of space constrains. Standard roll along
techniques was adopted at every 2 m along the entire line and
were used to record 20 shot records. The geophones were
coupled firmly into the soil, and a 10 kg hammer was used as
energy source. The geophone spaced 2 m apart along the
profile. The source to the nearest receiver offsets was 2 m,
making source to the farthest geophone around 48 m. The
Fig. 2 Construction work on the failed road at Alimosho, Lagos
source–receiver configuration movement was also 2 m; this
recording geometry provided the optimum spread and data
characteristics for examining the earth materials at the location
between 0 and 15 m depth.
Each 24-trace shot gathered was recorded at each of the
shot point (Fig. 3a). This was used to sample the subsurface
materials between 0 and15 m below ground surface with
surface waves. Multichannel records were analyzed with the
software called SurfSeis, which facilitates use of MASW with
continuous profiling techniques. Each shot gather generated
one dispersion curve (Fig. 3b). Each dispersion curve was
individually inverted into a depth Vs trace (Fig. 3c). Gathering
all depth Vs traces into shot station in sequential order results
in a 2-D grid of the shear wave velocity field.
Interpretations
Two-dimensional cross-sections derived as part of the study
shows important characteristics that depicted the nature of the
Table 1 Summary of borehole results (Geo-vision, 2006)
Depth (m) Description
0–0.75 Dark brown very fine sand with root hairs.
0.75–12.75 Loose to medium dense sharp sand becoming
clay at lower reaches.
12.75–21 Silty clay mixed with fine sand.
21–30 Stiff molten clay

Fig. 3 MASW processing scheme. a Detection of surface waves, b dispersion curve, and c 1-D surface wave profile
subsurface within the study area. Borehole data acquired prior
to the seismic survey provided baseline for identifying the
bedrock on the shear wave profiles.
On the basis of average estimated interval shear wave
velocity, the MASW profile can be divided basically into four
categories. Category 1 is designated with blue color (0–4 m,
100–230 m/s); category 2 is represented with yellow color (4–
8 m, 380–420 m/s); category 3, a zone (green color) with
velocity ranged between 230 and 380 m/s and thickness
ranging from 8–11 m; and category 4 is designated with red/
dark brown color (>11 m, >420 m/s) (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 2-D shear wave velocity
profile at the survey area
Arab J Geosci
Category 1 corresponds to a zone comprised mostly of
loose sand/clay; it stretches down the profile horizontally. This
area correlated well with relatively low-resistivity region in
the 2-D electrical method (Fig. 5). This represents a loose
compaction region of probable loose clayey formation (Ward
1990) and possibly peat; this may probably be responsible for
the road failure.
Category 2 correlates with a zone comprised mostly of
dense sand/stiff clay underlain by third category, which is
dominated by a lower velocity emerging from 8 to 11 m, while
category 4 depicted a region of relatively high shear wave
Arab J Geosci

Fig. 5 2-D resistivity section at

3 m electrode spacing

velocity that may compose of very dense sand/very stiff clay. measured shear wave velocity (Vs) profile by assuming the
However, the general trend of MASW shear wave velocity density ρ as follows:
profile compares favorably well with data acquired (2-D
Gmax ¼ρV 2s ð1Þ
electrical resistivity imaging (Fig. 5)) on the same line.
These MASW data and electrical resistivity methods
showed that there is a direct correlation between MASW shear Gmax can also be estimated directly from N value in the
wave velocity and subsurface lithologies obtained in that field as follows:
environment.
Gmax ¼ aN b ð2Þ

Estimation of Gmax and N values
One of the most reliable methods to characterized small strain
shear modulus (Gmax) is in situ measurement of shear wave
velocity (Vs) in the field at small strain using seismic methods
(Rollins et al. 1998). Gmax can be determined from the
Where a and b are correlation coefficient (e.g., a =1.2 and
b =0.8(Ohsaki and Iwasaki 1973)).
If correlation results of Vs and N of Ohta and Goto (1978)
were adopted, it can also be use to estimate Gmax by assuming
the density of soil, since slight variation of density does not
influence the estimated value (Hanumantharao and Ramana

Fig. 6 Correlation between N

value and measured Vs value

Table 2 Typical dynamic properties of soil layers at Alimosho
Depth Vs Shear N values Inferred sediments
(m) (m/s) modulus
(MN/m2)
0–4 <230 <105 <13 Loose sand/silty clay
4–8 380–420 289–353 49–63 Dense sand/stiff clay
8–11 230–380 105–289 13–49 Medium dense
sand/alluvial clay
>11 >420 >353 >63 Very dense sand/very
stiff clay
2008). Soil characteristics in the study area are silty sand
material, representing residual of Alimosho development area.
Figure 6 shows relation between N values to measured shear
wave velocity; this will be a better source of information for
the engineers especially for soil stiffness. The predicted cor-
relation is given in Eq. 3 as shown below (Ohta and Goto
1978):
Vs ¼ 85:34 N0:348 m=s:
Logarithmic regression fitting gives the highest R square
value of 0.97.
Typical results are shown in Table 2.
Conclusions
The seismic data presented herein indicated that the MASW
shear wave velocity profiles correlated quite well with avail-
able subsurface 2-D electrical resistivity data and borehole
lithologic logs obtained in that environment.
Hence, we could infer from the results obtained that loose
sand/clay were characterized by shear wave velocities ranging
from ∼100 to 230 m/s. Medium dense sand/alluvial clay are
characterized by velocities ranging from ∼230 to 420 m/s.
Very dense sand/stiff clay are characterized by velocities
above 420 m/s on the profile with subsurface material
exhibiting higher velocities.
The MASW shear wave velocities of sediments described
as peat/loose sand stretches significantly down the profile with
a definite pattern from surface to about 4 m. It could be
suggested that the low shear wave velocities of these material
was responsible for the road failure. This was supported by the
low resistivity of the layer and further correlated with the
borehole log information obtained within the environment.
The relation between N values to measured shear wave ve-
locity at low-strain level has been developed.
On the basis of this study, it is possible to conclude that
MASW shear wave velocity profiles are reliable, and the
technique can be used to estimate the engineering properties
Arab J Geosci
of soil. Thus, MASW technique is a cost-effective tool for
obtaining reliable shear wave velocity profiles.
References
Aki K, Richards PG (1980) Quantitative seismology: W.H. Freeman &
Co., San Francisco, 932 p. Herrmann, R.B., 1996, Computer Pro-
grams in Seismology. Saint Louis University Press, Saint Louis,
Missouri
Ayolabi EA, Adegbola RB (2011) Application of MASW Road failure
investigation. Symposium on the Application of geophysics to
Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP). Keystone,
Co, USA
Ayolabi EA, Peters DY (2005) Hydrochemical and electrical resistivity
assessment of the impact of solid waste on the groundwater at Oke-
lfa refuse dumpsite, Lagos, Nigeria. J Sci EGR 12(1):5936–5946
Chik Z, Islam T, Taha MR (2011) The consistence performance in
dispersion analysis for geotechnical surface wave investigations.
Tamkang J Sci Eng 14(2):107–114
Craig RF (1992) Soil mechanics (fifth edition). Chapman & Hall, New
York
ð3Þ
Dorman J, Ewing M (1962) Numerical inversion of seismic wave disper-
sion data and crust–mantle structure in the New York–Pennsylvania
area. J Geophys Res 67(13):5227–5241
Geo-Vision limited (2006) Report submitted on proposed development at
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos. (Unpublished)
Haeni FP (1986) Application of seismic refraction methods in groundwa-
ter modeling studies in New England. Geophysics 51(2):236–249
Hanumantharao C, Ramana GV (2008) Dynamics soil properties for
microzonation of Delhi, India. J Earth Sci 117(2):719–730
Imai T, Tonouchi K (1982) Correlation of N-value with S-wave velocity,
Proc. of 2nd Europ. Sympo. on Penetration Testing. 62–72
Ivanov J, Park CB, Miller RD, Xia J (2005) Analysis and filtering
surface-wave energy by muting shot gathers. J Environ Eng
Geophys 10:307–322
Jianghai X, Miller RD, Park CB (1999) Estimation of near surface shear
wave velocity by inversion of Rayleigh waves. Geophysics 64(3):
691–700
Khalil MA, Abbas AM, Santos FM, Masoud U, Salah H (2012) Appli-
cation of VES and TDEM techniques to investigate seawater intru-
sion in Sidi Abdel Rahman area, northwestern coast of Egypt. Arab J
Geosci. doi:10.1007/s1251-012-0564-z
Mari JL (1984) Estimation of static corrections for shear wave profiling
using dispersive properties of love waves. Geophysics 49:1169–
1179
Nazarian S, Stokoe KH, Hudson WR (1983) Use of spectral analysis of
surface waves method for determination of moduli and thicknesses
of pavement systems. Transp Res Rec 930:38–45
Odewunmi SG (1995) Lagos State: Location, Extent, and Constituents in
Fundamentals of General Studies, edited by A.O.K Noah, Rex
Charles Publication, p131
Ohsaki Y, Iwasaki R (1973) Dynamic shear moduli and Poisson’s ratio of
soil deposits. Soils Foundn 13:61–73
Ohta Y, Goto N (1978) Empirical shear wave velocity equations in terms of
characteristic soil indexes; Earthquake Engg. Struct Dyn 6:167–187
Park CB, Miller RD, Xia J (1996) Multichannel analysis of surface waves
using Vibroseis, Presented at the 66th Ann. Mtg. of SEG, Denver,
Expanded Abstracts, 68–71
Rollins KM, Evans MD, Diehl NB, Daily WD (1998) Shear modulus and
damping relationships for gravels. J Geotech Geoenv Engg ASCE
124:396–405
Arab J Geosci
Stokoe KH II, Nazarian S (1985) Use of Rayleigh wave in liquefaction
studies. Proceedings of the Measurement and Use of Shear Wave
Velocity for Evaluation Dynamic Soil Properties, ASCE, NY, pp 1–
17
Thaker TP, Rao KS (2011) Development of statistical correlations be-
tween shear wave velocity and penetration resistance using MASW
technique. Pan-am CGS Geotechnical Conference. Delhi, India
Ward SH (1990) Resistivity and induced Polarization method in Ward,
Stanley H., ed., Geotechnics and environmental geophysics vol 1:
review and tutorials. Soc Explor Geophys Investig Geophys 5:147–
189
Zhang SX, Chan LS, Chen CY, Dai FC, Shen XK, Zhong H (2003)
Apparent phase velocities and fundamental-mode phase velocities
of Rayleigh waves. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 23:563–569