Applications of Surface Resistivity Methods

Abstract

Generally the geology of the Breton area of Alberta consists of a 5‐to 125‐ft (1.5‐ to 38.1‐m) veneer of glacial till overlying sandstone and sandy shale units of the Paskapoo Formation. These sandstone units are locally important aquifers. Glacial drift in the Hastings Lake area varies in thickness from 100 to 200 ft (30.5 to 61.0 m) and overlies the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, which consists of bentonitic shale, siltstone and coal units with minor sandstone units. Ground‐water yields from drift and bedrock in this area are generally less than 30 gpm (113.6 1/m). Resistivity soundings were completed at 68 and 65 stations in the Breton and Hastings Lake areas, respectively. Profile maps from the Breton area are characterized by broad areas with apparent resistivity values greater than 100 ohm‐ft (3048 ohm‐cm). Qualitative evaluation of the resistivity soundings and existing borehole data indicated that the high resistivity values resulted from a thick resistive sandstone aquifer less than 25 ft (7.6 m) from ground surface. A reasonably well‐defined resistivity pattern was evident on the profile maps of the Hastings Lake area with the highest resistivity values coming from stations located in the hummocky moraine south of the lake. Sounding curves and borehole data indicate that an increase in the sand content of the drift is responsible for these values. However, local variability in the drift lithology produces anomalies in the resistivity patterns. In addition to providing useful information on the geology of an area, surface resistivity methods provide a rapid and relatively inexpensive tool to aid in planning more detailed ground‐water studies because of their ability to detect inhomogeneities in the subsurface environment.

Salinisation of drinking water ponds and groundwater in coastal Bangladesh linked to tropical cyclones

“…The hydraulic properties of the soil and underlying sediments are represented using the non-hysteretic, parametric relationships of van Genuchten 47 , for the soil water characteristic, and Mualem 48 , for the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Density-dependent transport of total salt concentration (i.e., salinity) in the subsurface is modelled using the advection–dispersion equation 44 , 49 , where the hydrodynamic dispersion is the sum of apparent molecular diffusion and mechanical dispersion. The latter represented using “Fickian” longitudinal and transverse dispersivities (see Supplementary Eq.…”

Geo-electrical resistivity survey for fresh groundwater investigation in Mirsharai Economic Zone, Chittagong in the south-eastern coastal areas of Bangladesh

“…Depth of burial, age and compaction of soils or rock units effectively increase resistivity. Saturation of hydrocarbon in voids/fractures in rocks increases subsurface resistivity (David and Ofrey, 1983;Schwartz and MCClymont, 1977;Telford et al, 1976).…”

Application of Resistivity Method for Mining Tailings Site Selection in Karst Regions

“…For that the resistivity method has become a powerful method for water and environmental investigation issues [16][17][18]. The resistivity method is frequently utilized as a geophysical survey method in several applications in different fields, for instance, minerals exploration, hydrological engineering, geotechnical engineering, and environmental investigations [19][20][21][22][23]. However, there is a paucity of published studies on environmental assessment mining resistivity method applications, especially in the selection of the optimum location of a mining tailing disposal.…”