Imaging of a Waste Deposit Site Near Cologne City, Germany Using Magnetic and ERT Methods

Summary In recent years, geophysical methods have been broadly used in investigating the environmental problems. One of the most important and serious environmental problem is the buried waste site deposits. In many cases, these kinds of waste sites constitute a main source for groundwater contamination. In the present study, a combination of magnetic and ERT methods was employed to determine the geometry of a landfill near Cologne city, Germany and detect the potential contaminated zones. The results of this research suggested that the waste site has an average length of 190 m and a width varies between 72 and 95 m. The depth of the dumpsite increases towards the center where it has a depth range of 6 to 14 m. Moreover, contamination plumes were detected using ERT survey. Furthermore, several ferromagnetic bodies were observed within and outside the dumpsite referring to possible bombs as remnants of the World War II.