Groundwater Potential Assessment Using Integrated 2D and 3D Electrical Tomography and 2D Gravity Modeling: A Case of Burka Uke Catchment, West Ethiopia

Abstract

Uke Town's expanding infrastructure and growing population necessitate a larger water supply for agricultural and drinking uses. As a result, the goal of the research is to map the aquifer in the Burka Uke catchment in West Ethiopia by determining the depth of the basement rocks, the resistivity and density of subsurface layers, their thickness, and the structural components. In order to identify the potential for groundwater and the structural components that regulate the geometry of groundwater aquifers in the region, the study combines integrated electrical resistivity tomography with gravity modeling. Low resistivity variation in the subsurface is revealed by the resistivity profile studies (1, 4, and 6), suggesting the existence of possible groundwater aquifers. The stark difference in resistivity values between 498 and 1612 ohm.m. is thought to indicate a high fracture density, which could indicate the presence of geological structures that could support the buildup of groundwater. Additionally, the entire Bouguer gravity anomaly image, which is separated into regional and residual components, displays values ranging from 51.79 to 41.59 mGal. Fault elements have been identified using the residual gravity anomaly map; fault elements that strike from south to north have been mapped in this study. Furthermore, the outcomes of 2D and 3D electrical tomography as well as 2D gravity modeling along B-B' show that the aquifer extends far across the research area in a North-South direction.