Monitoring of ground displacements using borehole-embedded distributed fibre optic sensors

Abstract

Monitoring of ground displacements is critical for reliable geohazard risk assessment, construction and exploration. Recent advances in distributed fibre optic sensing allow for instrumenting boreholes in a wide range of geotechnical applications, such as monitoring of ground settlements caused by structures, dam integrity and displacements of creeping landslides. In contrast to conventional methods, such as extensometer, geodetical or radar measurements, the distributed sensors offer gapless monitoring over the entire depth of the borehole. The paper offers interpretation techniques, shares experiences from settlement- and displacement-monitoring projects, evaluates the results and discusses the limitations of the proposed measurement technology. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Measurement and monitoring collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/measurement-and-monitoring