Geophysical Investigation: Groundwater Exploration & Exploitation
Geophysical Investigation: Groundwater Exploration & Exploitation
Geophysical Investigation: Groundwater Exploration & Exploitation
APPLICATION OF GEOPHYSICAL
INVESTIGATION METHODS
IN
AN OVERVIEW
OUTLINE
• Applied Geophysics
• Groundwater Investigations
• Electromagnetic
• Electrical Resistivity
What is groundwater?
… most rocks contain several interconnected pore spaces referred to as
interstices (porosity) in which water may be stored and through which water
can be transmitted (permeability);
… groundwater offers the most reliable and safest source of potable water,
over 60% of Nigerians depend on groundwater for their domestic, industrial,
agricultural and other uses;
Groundwater Investigation
…water is found in virtually every location on the earth's surface, however the
primary challenges are delineation, accessibility and economic justification.
Sedimentary Basins
… by name consists mainly of sediments deposited over a period of time,
sedimentary basins consists generally of clay, sands, shale, limestone, sandstone,
Marl e.t.c.;
the underlying rocks are predominantly clay (some parts of Enugu State -
Abakaliki) or shale (some parts of Imo State);
the aquifers are very deep and therefore expensive to develop, e.g. Chad
Basin, some parts of Niger Delta (Odidi, Tunu, Forcados e.t.c.);
Basement Complex
… consists mainly of metamorphic and igneous rocks - hard crystalline rocks
with no primary potential for groundwater storage and transmission;
igneous rocks - rocks that are formed by the cooling and solidification of
molten magma, generally classified into intrusive rocks - granite, gabbros,
syenite, pegmatite e.t.c. and extrusive rocks - basalt, andesite, rhyolites e.t.c.
Groundwater Investigation
Basement Complex
… basement rocks have no primary porosity or permeability, water-bearing
voids are usually in the form of fissures, fractures, joints, faults and weathered
zones;
LEG END
Ilaro formation
OYO STATE
E wekoro formation
BENIN
"
B as ement c omplex
I diemi
"
O lode
A diho O lorunsogo S tudy area
#
"
"
Fapote O deda
"
Ayetoro
"
"
A BEOKUTA
OF
Obafemi
%
"
I boro Fidiwo
"
#
Igbogila
Kajola
#
"
# #
#
Owode O de-Remo A go-Iwoye
I BESHE
"#
O ru
#
#
"
Akaka
#
I peru
REPUBLIC
#
"
#
Ofada
"
"
#
I dogo Ijebu-Ode
#
Ifo Junction
"
I fe ONDO
#
Otta
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I di-Iroko
"
Atan STATE
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#
Iwopin
#
A bigi
#
Mak un
#
Atijere
#
0 60 km
5 º 43 'N
2 º 3 7 'E 4 º 3 7 'E
FIG. 2 GEOLOGICAL MAP OF OGUN STATE SHOWING THE IBESHE STUDY AREA.
Groundwater Investigation - Objectives
Sedimentary Basins
determine sub-surface strata (lithology), delineate water-bearing aquifers,
depth to aquifer units, brackish-saline-fresh water interfaces, localized
pollution, aquifer thickness and nature of sub-surface lithology;
Basement Complex
determine thickness of overburden, the degree and nature of fracturing/
weathering of the bedrock, the presence or absence of clay above the
weathered zone, effect of clay on the rate of infiltration of water into
weathered zones and permeability of the weathered/fractured zone.
Desk Study
Electromagnetic
… involves the use of an alternating magnetic field as the power source, when
this primary field is imposed on earth materials through a primary coil -
Transmitter, a flow of current results;
… the current flow produces a secondary magnetic field, which can be detected
at the surface by measuring the voltage induced in another secondary coil -
Receiver;
… their great advantage lies in the fact that direct contact with the ground is not
necessary, therefore, data acquisition is rapid, easy and less expensive;
… EM data is a very useful tool for reconnaissance studies over a large area in
basement complex environment; electrical resistivity can then be used more
effectively in areas of high EM anomalies i.e. conductive zones;
Interpreted EM34-3 Reading along Traverse 1-1 (E-W) direction
150
140
130
R e s is tivity V a lu e -O h m m (1 /C on d .-m S )
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Intercoil Spacing x 20m Hori(20) Vert(20) Hori(40) Vert(40)
Typical EM Chart
Groundwater Investigation - Geophysical Methods
… the method is based on the principle that materials within the earth crust
exhibits significantly contrasting and measurable resistivity properties;
… the resistivity values of geologic formation vary widely and are strongly
influenced by several factors such as fissuring, porosity, water saturation,
temperature, texture, presence of clay minerals and fluid permeability;
… the method involves the passage of electric current into the ground through
two (2) current electrodes, while the potential gradient (voltage) is measured
across another pair of electrodes (potential electrodes);
C1 P1 P2 C2
r
M N
A a = AB/2 B
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
Instrumentation
… the very low levels of resistance commonly encountered in resistivity surveys
requires that survey instruments must be both very sensitive and accurate;
… the common resistivity meters used in Nigeria are the ABEM SAS family (SAS
300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 1000 and 4000 as well as the PASI Digital resistivity meters,
other components required for data acquisition includes;
Steel Electrodes
Current & Potential Cables
Hammers
Wooden Pegs (optional)
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
Instrumentation
Clinometer
Measuring Tapes
Pre-marked Strings (optional)
Record Sheets
Calculator
…in the Vertical Electrical Sounding mode using the Schlumberger array, the
Current electrodes are expanded symmetrically about the centre of the spread,
as AB is increased, the potential electrodes are also expanded at pre-determined
intervals;
… constant quality control is required on the field to ensure good data quality,
while remarks should be recorded for data acquired in noisy environments and
difficult terrains;
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
… for Vertical Electrical Sounding, the field data collected are represented in
graphs in which half of the current electrode separation, AB/2, is plotted on the
abscissa (x-axis), while the corresponding apparent resistivity is plotted on the
ordinate (y-axis), the scales of both axes are logarithmic;
… common softwares in use include - Resis, Sclum (both DOS based and
WinSev (Windows based);
Limitations
… the interpretation of a multi-layer sounding curve is not unique - a given VES
curve can correspond to a variety of sub-surface distributions of layer thicknesses
and resistivities;
… the practical depth limit of resistivity surveys ranges between 400 - 1000
metres, simply because of the maximum electrical power that can be introduced
into the ground and the practical difficulties in laying out long lengths of cable.
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
Application
1 topsoil
2 sandy clay
3 laterite
4 clay
5 shale
1 topsoil
2 laterite
3 sandy clay
4 laterite
5 clay
6 shale
1 topsoil
2 clayey sand
3 sandy clay
4 sand
1 topsoil
2 clay
3 sandy clay
4 sand
1 topsoil
2 weathered basement
(clay)
3 fractured basement
4 fresh basement
1 topsoil
2 sandy clay
3 weathered basement
(clay)
4 fresh basement
1 topsoil
2 clayey sand
3 partially weathered
basement
4 fractured basement
5 fresh basement
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
Typical Report Format
Title Page
Table of Contents
List of Figures
The Project Team
Statement of Objective
Executive Summary
Introduction
- Site Location and Accessibility
- Geomorphology
Geology/Hydrogeology of the Study Area
Field Methods and Data Acquisition
Station References/Field Limitations
Groundwater Investigation - Direct Current Electrical Resistivity
Typical Report Format
Instrumentation
Data Processing
Discussion of Results
Groundwater Potential Evaluation
Recommendations and Concluding Remarks
Appendix
References
Groundwater Investigation - BOREHOLE LOGGING
… is a vital tool in establishing the viability of water wells, this purely scientific
tool helps in the design and completion of a well for optimum performance, it
provides accurate and very important information about aquifer characteristics,
lithology and formation water quality;
…for the purpose of water well construction, geophysical logging offers the most
accurate and cost effective means of delineating exact lithology and formation
water quality and potential quantity, which constitutes pre-requisites for effective
placement of screens and casings;
Groundwater Investigation - BOREHOLE LOGGING
… modern logging systems offer real-time digital printout of logging run, which
can be used for immediate on-site interpretation;
… logging result is more accurate and reliable than drill samples and provides a
better picture of the sub-surface relative to depth, however, logging does not
entirely replace sampling;
… borehole log data is relatively easy to interpret and it provides very reliable
control for the interpretation of surface geophysical investigation data;
… the major downside of the technique is that a drilled hole is required for log
data acquisition.
Groundwater Investigation - BOREHOLE LOGGING
Applications
BOREHOLE CONSTRUCTION
AN OVERVIEW
foluwaso adebobuyi
(applied geophysicist)
[email protected]
Borehole Construction - The Process
…borehole construction defines the process of cutting a hole through the earth
continuously, flushing and stabilising the hole until the desired depth is
attained, including the process of screen and casing installation, development,
pumping test and casing installation;
… major components of a drill rig includes - mud pump, centrifugal pump, grout
pump, water injector pump, foam pump, air compressor, gear boxes, draw works,
hydraulic winch, rotary table, weight indicator, collar, drilling bits, hammer head,
drill pipes e.t.c;