Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ground magnetic survey of a municipal solid waste landfill: pilot study in Argentina

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

This paper shows the results of a ground magnetic survey carried out to study solid waste landfills. The area located southward of Gualeguaychú town was chosen as a pilot case. This zone was selected considering the available knowledge about the cessation of operations, and the interest of the local authorities in verifying the existence of anomalies indicative of possible dangerous pollutants. The total magnetic field was measured along six profiles, and the corresponding anomalies were calculated. The profiles were modelled in 2.5 D, and along them Euler’s deconvolution was used to estimate the depth to the sources. The first and the second derivatives of the residual magnetic field were calculated, in order to sharpen the anomalies. Our interpretation suggests that the characteristics of the modelled bodies and the magnitudes of the detected anomalies do not indicate the presence of drums in the sanitary infill.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aristodemu E, Thomas-Betts A (2000) DC resistivity and induced polarisation investigations at a waste disposal site and its environments. J Appl Geophys 44:275–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benson R, Glaccum R, Noel M (1984) Geophysical techniques for sensing buried wastes and waste migration. Report for the U.S. Environmental protection Agency. PB84-198449. EPA –600/7-84-064, p 233

  • Bossi G (1969) Geología y estratigrafía del sector sur del Valle de Choromoro. Acta Geológica Lilloana 10 (2):17–64, Tucumán

  • Breiner S (1973) Applications manual for portable magnetometers. Geometrics Sunnyvale, USA, p 58

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter P, Kaufmann R, Price B (1990) Use of resistivity soundings to determine landfill structure. Ground Water 28:569–575

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter P, Calkin S, Kaufmann R (1991) Assessing a fractured landfill cover using electrical resistivity and seismic refraction techniques. Geophysics 56:1896–1904

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper G (2000) Geomodel 2.01 for Windows 95/98. License No 0005GM11UK

  • Cooper G (2001) Euler 1.00 for Windows

  • Dahlin T, Jeppson H (1995) Geophysical investigations of a wastedeposit in Southern Sweden. In: Proceedings of the symposium on the application of geophysics to ingineering and environmental problems. Copyright 1995. EEGS, pp 97–105

  • Gunn P (1975) Linear transformations of gravity and magnetic fields. Geophys Prospect 23(2):300–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Iriondo M (1980) El Cuaternario de Entre Ríos. Revista de la Asociación de Ciencias Naturales del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina 11:125–141

  • Meju M (2000a) Environmental geophysics: the tasks ahead. J Appl Geophys 44:63–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meju M (2000b) Geoelectrical investigation of old/abandoned, covered landfill sites in urban areas: model development with a genetic diagnosis approach. J Appl Geophys 44:115–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pellerin L (2002) Applications of electrical and electromagnetic methods for environmental and geotechnical investigation. Surv Geophys 23:101–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piratoba Morales G, Fenzi N (2000) Environmental impact of the deposit of solid waste of the “Aura” Belém-PA (Brazil). In: 31st international geological congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, vol 53A, p 4218

  • Ravat D (1996) Magnetic properties of unrusted steel drums from laboratory and field-magnetic measurements. Geophysics 61(5):1325–1335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rimoldi H (1963) Aprovechamiento del Río Uruguay en la zona de Salto Grande. Estudio geológico-geotectónico para la presa de compensación proyectada en el Paso Hervidero (provincia de Entre Ríos). 1as. Jornadas Geológicas Argentinas Anales 2:287–310, Buenos Aires, Argentina

  • Robinson H, Gronow J (1995) A review of landfill leachate composition in the UK. In: Institute of Waste Management proceedings, January 1995, IWM, Northampton, pp 3–8

  • Sainato C, Favetto A, Pomposiello C (2004) Estudios geoeléctricos de un relleno sanitario de Gualeguaychú, Pcia. de Entre Ríos. XXII Reunión Científica de la Asociación Argentina de Geofísicos y Geodestas, Buenos Aires, Argentina, pp 196–197

  • Staton R, Thyne G, McCray J (2004) Temporal changes in leachate chemistry of a municipal solid waste landfill cell in Florida, USA. Environ Geol 45:982–991

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • US EPA (1988) Criteria for municipal solid waste landfills, case studies on groundwater and surface water contamination from municipal solid waste landfills. US EPA Office of Solid Waste, EPA/530-SW-88-040

Download references

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Intendencia de la Ciudad de Gualeguaychú, CONICET, Buenos Aires University and IAA. C. Prezzi gratefully acknowledges the support of Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship. We thank the Gravity Group of the Institut für Geowissenschaften of the Christian Albrechts Universität for helpful discussion. G. Cooper provided free access to Geomodel 2.01 software. Suggestions by reviewer G.Gabriel are gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONICET, Instituto de Geofísica Daniel Valencio, Dpto. de Cs. Geológicas, FCEyN, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    C. Prezzi, M. J. Orgeira & C. A. Vásquez

  2. FCEyN, Depto. de Cs. Geológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón 2, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    C. Prezzi, M. J. Orgeira & H. Ostera

  3. Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Abteilung Geophysik, Christian Albrechts Universität, Otto Hahn Platz 1, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    C. Prezzi

  4. CONICET, INGEIS, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    H. Ostera

  5. CBC, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    C. A. Vásquez

Authors
  1. C. Prezzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. J. Orgeira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. Ostera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. A. Vásquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Prezzi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prezzi, C., Orgeira, M.J., Ostera, H. et al. Ground magnetic survey of a municipal solid waste landfill: pilot study in Argentina. Environ Geol 47, 889–897 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1198-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1198-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation