Investigation of Groundwater Potential Using Remote Sensing and Hydro-geophysical Techniques: A Case Study of the Telidjene Basin (Eastern Algeria)

Abstract

The present study aims to assess groundwater potential in the Telidjene Basin located in the semi-arid part of eastern Algeria, applying an innovative approach combining both remote sensing and hydrogeophysics methods. A re-interpretation of geophysical data and vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements were applied and calibrated with the borehole data to map the deep structures that may control the presence of groundwater and identify the geological and hydrogeological setting. Morphometric factors affecting recharge were mapped using several types of remote sensing data (SRTM DEM, Landsat-8). Thematic maps were overlaid using the multicriteria method and GIS to detect potential recharge areas. The results show that the main factors influencing recharge are fracturing and drainage density. Four potential recharge areas were identified over a 547 km2 area of the basin. 20% of the area falls in the weakest class, 32% in the weak class, 3% in the moderate, and 16% in the strongest. Furthermore, the study reveals that an alluvial aquifer with a thickness of up to 60m, spreading over the surface, along the Wadi Telijene and the alluvial soil, is deposited unconformably on Cretaceous terrain containing aquifer horizons of varying thickness and different electrical resistivities (10–150 Ωm), drawing an anticlinal structure with lithostratigraphy interrupted by a series of faults and spurs of Aptian and Triassic age. The south-western part of the basin has a high to moderate recharge and storage capacity. Its alluvial cover is directly fed by precipitation and fractured limestones deposited in a syncline outcropping on the edges forming an alluvial and carbonate bilayer aquifer. This study concluded that an integrated approach, involving recent, efficient, and inexpensive technology, such as remote sensing and conventional geophysical method, can be successfully used to identify groundwater potential in the study area.

Application of the electrical resistivity method and the estimation of limestone volume: a case study

“…The integration of the geophysical methodology with geological observations offers valuable additional information through the examination of geophysical responses at various depths. Geophysical exploration is employed within the mining industry to locate zones characterized by substantial concentrations of mineral substances and quarries (Šumanovac and Weisser, 2001;Hodlur et al, 2006;Sikandar et al, 2010;Abraham et al, 2013;Akpan et al, 2014;Aizebeokhai and Oyeyemi, 2015;Adebiyi et al, 2018;Rusydy et al, 2020;Hibi et al, 2021;Taha et al, 2021;Yu et al, 2021;Ren et al, 2022;Peng et al, 2022;Mohamed et al, 2023;Chen et al, 2023). Various geophysical methods, such as gravity, magnetometry, electrical, and seismic techniques, are accessible for exploration purposes.…”

Identifying Most Suitable Priority Areas for Soil-Water Conservation Using Coupling Mechanism in Guwahati Urban Watershed

“…Recently, numerous studies have used remote sensing (RS) coupled with geographic information systems (GIS) to reliably calculate morphological features and analyze basin attributes (Resmi et al, 2019;Bogale, 2021). In recent years, experts and researchers worldwide have developed methods for automatic extraction of drainage networks and their properties utilizing remote sensing and GIS (Arubalaji and Padmalal, 2020;Hibi et al, 2021;Ahad et al, 2022). Furthermore, several scholars have reported about the application of GIS for morphometric analysis with interaction of drainage morphometric features of various watersheds of India (Kumar et al, 2021: Shekar et al, 2022.…”