Brief communication: Use of lightweight and low-cost steel net electrodes for electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys performed on coarse-blocky surface environments

Abstract. ERT is a widely used geophysical technique for characterizing various mountainous environments where land surfaces consist of coarse blocks and debris, such as landslide deposits or rock glaciers. In this situation, installing the common steel spike electrodes is both challenging and time-consuming, and achieving galvanic contact between the electrodes and the surface is difficult. In this work, we have successfully tested an alternative electrode that is tougher, lighter and cheaper than the recently proposed conductive textile electrode. A thin stainless-steel net and sponges are used to create small bags that can be easily inserted between the blocks, and then removed.