Imaging beneath standing bodies of water in karst terrai

Side scan sonar and down scan sonar, sub bottom profiling, electrical resistivity tomography profiling (underwater cables), and continuous resistivity profiling (towed cable) surveys were conducted to characterize the lake sediments (rock and soil) beneath the man-made Little Prairie Lake, in central Missouri. Sub bottom profiling and electrical resistivity (with marine cables and towed cable) were used to determine variability in the lithology and thickness of sediments (soil and rock) beneath the lake, while side scan sonar was used to map the variations in the lithology/nature of exposed lakebed sediments and to locate the potential hazard of trees. Down scan sonar and sub bottom profiling were utilized to measure the water depth. On land, electrical resistivity tomography was used with multi-channel analysis of surface wave method to determine sediments, joints, and the depth of bedrock.;Analyses of the acquired data revealed the location and orientation of the original stream channels (prior to the construction of the earth fill dam). The side scan sonar mapped the variations in the biomass at the bottom of the lake. Underwater electrical resistivity tomography and continuous resistivity profiling determined joints, sediments, and bedrock underneath water bodies.;Using integrated marine geophysical tools help to evaluate the sub surface prior to any construction project (dam or bridge), are useful in determining the characteristics of lithology (fractured rock, intact rock and soil), and make it possible to map benthic habitat and the submerged potential hazards of trees on the lakebed as well as accurately measuring water depth.