International audienceThe expectation behind seismoelectric field measurements is to achieve a combination of the sensitivity of electrical properties to water content and permeability and the high spatial resolution of seismic surveys. A better understanding of the physical processes and a reliable quantification of the conversion between seismic energy and electric energy are necessary and need to take into account the effect of water content, especially for shallow subsurface investigations. We performed a field survey to quantify the seismoelectric signals as the water content changed. We measured seismoelectric signals induced by seismic wave propagation, by repeating the observations on the same two profiles during several months. The electrical resistivity was monitored to take into account the water content variations. We show that the horizontal component of the seismoelectric field, normalized with respect to the horizontal component of the seismic acceleration is inversely proportional to the electrical resistivity ρ0.42±0.25 . Assuming that the observed resistivity changes depend only on the water content, this result implies that the electrokinetic coefficient should increase with increasing water saturation. Taking into account the water saturation and combining our results with the Archie law for the resistivity in non-saturated conditions, the normalized seismoelectric field is a power-law of the effective saturation with the exponent (0.42 ± 0.25)n where n is Archie's saturation exponent. Hydrogeophysics; electrokinetics; streaming potential; seismoelectric conversion; field observation; water conten

We consider a series of hydrogeophysical techniques that provide a multiscale investigation of the water content in the vadose zone and of the perched aquifer at the experimental site of ''La Soutte'' in the Vosges Mountains (France). It is located in a catchment area where several springs and streams occur along fractured volcanic and weathered plutonic rocks. The site is the object of a long-term study that uses both continuous and repeated measurements to monitor hydrogeological processes. The main results from AMT and DC resistivity techniques allow the determination of a high-resolution 3D resistivity model over a large range of depths (from 10 0 to 10 3 m). We discuss their use and propose a hydrogeological model (porosity, water conductivity and water content). We also use MRS and GPR for a detailed investigation of the shallow part of the catchment that consists of soil and weathered rocks of highly varying thickness (0 to 15 m). MRS is used to map the thickness and total water volume content by unit surface of the saturated weathered zone. It also yields estimates of the vadose zone thickness through the depth to the top of the saturated zone. Moreover, we show results from GPR CMP measurements that yield estimates of the water content and porosity in the shallowest layer (0-30 cm) by simple interpretation of the ground direct wave.

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