Geophysical investigations of dolines* in lateritic terrain

Abstract

The detection of cavities in the near ground surface assumes vital enconomic significance when the area is subject to major engineering construction. Such is the case where the route of the proposed Alice Springs to Darwin railway crosses the Wiso Basin, between Tennant Creek and Katherine. Although the presence of dolines in the Wiso Basin was well documented, the overnight collapse of the Buchanan Highway into a sinkhole in 1982 highlighted the potential danger and dictated a full scale investigation.