The development of electrical imaging techniques

The development of direct current resistivity imaging techniques has been rapid in the last years. This applies to data acquisition as well as inverse modelling techniques, and has lead to a greatly expanded practical applicability of the method. Resistivity imaging is now becoming widely used in environmental and engineering applications where increased knowledge about the subsurface is sought. The ongoing development can be expected to continue

Geophysical characterization of the Leon-Chinandega aquifer, Nicaragua

Electrical geophysical surveys in the mode of vertical electrical soundings (VES) and continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES) were conducted in the Leon-Chinandega plains, northwestern Nicaragua, in order to obtain detailed information about the geometry of the different hydrogeological layers in the aquifer and depth to the basement. A total of 51 VES were carried out within the plains. The results show a complex structure towards the north east of the area, and the southwestern part of the plains presents a smoother stratification. The geoelectrical measurements and borehole information indicate that the basement topography is characterized by hills and deep valleys with highly variable basement depths. Fifty CVES where done in a smaller area in the center of the plain. The resistivity data yielded considerable information revealing the existence of two main geo-electrical units. The combined interpretation of geological and geophysical data shows an environment typical of sedimentary volcanic coastal plains. The information collected during this investigation provides valuable data for estimating the fresh-water resources of the Leon-Chinandega aquifer system and for development of a groundwater management plan

Time-lapse resistivity investigations for imaging saltwater transport in glaciofluvial deposits

Five intersecting resistivity sections have been measured in glaciofluvial deposits hosting an aquifer of regional importance situated along a heavy traffic highway in Sweden. The winter salt spreading has caused a regular salinity increase through the years. For imaging the transport of saltwater in the aquifer, the sections were measured exactly in the same location before and after winter, and interpreted using a time-lapse inverse procedure. Some auger drilling and RCPT data were available for correlation. After winter, the resistivity had generally decreased under the water table and increased above it. The decrease in resistivity in the saturated zone is interpreted as a plume of more saline groundwater created by de-icing salt from the road. The increase in the upper layer can be explained by changes in temperature and soil moisture. The study shows that time-lapse resistivity investigations has potential for imaging hydraulic pathways in complex hydrogeological environments

Alluvial aquifers at geological boundaries: geophysical investigations and groundwater resources

Alluvial channel sands in active ephemeral streams are potentially highly productive aquifers that are normally fully recharged annually. The groundwater resource is constrained by the limited three-dimensional extent of these aquifers. Concepts are developed that propose an increase in alluvial aquifer dimensions at geological boundaries. Multi-electrode resistivity and ground penetrating radar are used to investigate the dimensions of an alluvial channel at a geological boundary with the more resistant lithology upstream. These investigations reveal that alluvial channel fill dimensions are increased in the overlying less-resistant lithology downstream of the boundary. Groundwater flow modelling has been used to determine aquifer potential and identify key fluxes, indicating that significant irrigation potential exists from these aquifers

A numerical comparison of 2D resistivity imaging with 10 electrode arrays

Numerical simulations are used to compare the resolution and efficiency of 2D resistivity imaging surveys for 10 electrode arrays. The arrays analysed include pole-pole (PP), pole-dipole (PD), half-Wenner (HW), Wenner-alpha (WN), Schlumberger (SC), 'dipole-dipole (DD), Wenner-beta (WB), gamma-array (GM), multiple or moving gradient array (GD) and mid point-potential-referred measurement (MPR) arrays. Five synthetic geological models, simulating a buried channel, a narrow conductive dike, a narrow resistive dike, dipping blocks and covered waste ponds, were used to examine the surveying efficiency (anomaly effects, signal-to-noise ratios) and the imaging capabilities of these arrays. The responses to variations in the data density and noise sensitivities of these electrode configurations were also investigated using robust (L-1-norm) inversion and smoothness-constrained least-squares (L-2-norm) inversion for the five synthetic models. The results show the following. (i) GM and WN are less contaminated by noise than the other electrode arrays. (ii) The relative anomaly effects for the different arrays vary with the geological models. However, the relatively high anomaly effects of PP, GM and WB surveys do not always give a high-resolution image. PD, DD and GD can yield better resolution images than GM, PP, WN and WB, although they are more susceptible to noise contamination. SC is also a strong candidate but is expected to give more edge effects. (iii) The imaging quality of these arrays is relatively robust with respect to reductions in the data density of a multi-electrode layout within the tested ranges. (iv) The robust inversion generally gives better imaging results than the L2-norm inversion, especially with noisy data, except for the dipping block structure presented here. (v) GD and MPR are well suited to multichannel surveying and GD may produce images that are comparable to those obtained with DD and PD. Accordingly, the GD, PD, DD and SC arrays are strongly recommended for 2D resistivity imaging, where the final choice will be determined by the expected geology, the purpose of the survey and logistical considerations

Improvement in time-domain induced polarization data quality with multi-electrode systems by separating current and potential cables

Measuring induced polarization in the time domain with relatively compact multi-channel multi-electrode systems is attractive because of the simplicity of the procedure and thus its efficiency in the field. However the use of this technique is sometimes discouraged by the bad quality of the measurements in cases of high electrode contact resistances that can render data interpretation infeasible or at least unreliable. It is proposed that capacitive coupling in the multi-core electrode cables has a significant role in creating this problem. In such cases separation of current and potential circuits by using separate multi-conductor cable spreads can yield significant improvement in data quality. The procedure is relatively simple and can be implemented with common resistivity and time-domain IP equipment. We show here three field examples from Southern Sweden, all measured as 2D electrical imaging sections. The first one is an example where the use of a single cable spread is sufficient thanks to moderate electrode contact resistance and high signal levels. The following two examples are from sites where induced polarization measurements could not yield consistent results using only a single multi-conductor cable spread. Useful results were subsequently obtained by using separate cable spreads. The first example is a 280 m long line measured over an old covered municipal waste deposit where the waste body stands out as a zone of high chargeability. The second example is a 120 m line measured on a sandy glaciofluvial structure that is host to an aquifer of regional importance. The improvement led to discrimination between materials of different grain sizes, with potential bearing for understanding the aquifer. The third example is a 300-400 m line measured across an esker lying on clay till. The improvement led to a clear visualization of the esker and to the identification of a possible fault in the underlying gneissic bedrock. In all cases pseudosections and examples of chargeability decay curves are shown and discussed as tools for assessing data quality. Inversion results are shown together with background geological information and it is concluded that they are in good agreement