The relationship between saline groundwater within the Arava Rift Valley in Israel and the present and ancient base levels as detected by deep geoelectromagnetic soundings

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences Vol. 54; no. 7; pp. 1435 - 1445
• Main Authors: Kafri, U., Goldman, M., Levi, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.06.2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Brines; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Encroachment; Exact sciences and technology; Geochemistry; Geology; Geophysics; Geophysics: general, magnetic, electric and thermic methods and properties; Groundwater; Hydrogeology; Hydrology; Hydrology. Hydrogeology; Internal geophysics; Original Article; Rift valleys; Salinity; Salinization; Seawater; Water inflow; Water resources; Middle East; Israel; Asia; Dead Sea; ISW, Israel, Southern, Elat; MED, Israel; Israel, Dead Sea; Arava Rift Valley; Base levels; Groundwater; Deep TDEM; Salination; sea water; electromagnetic surveys; models; interfaces; salt-water intrusion; ground water; hydrodynamics; sounding; subsurface; salinization; brines; depth; aquifers; hydrochemistry; brackish water; water resource management; geophysical methods; salt water
• ISSN: 0943-0105; 1866-6280; 1432-0495; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s00254-007-0924-2

The time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) geophysical method was employed to detect saline groundwater bodies within and in the close margins of the Arava Rift Valley. The Arava Valley aquifers are known to occupy fresh to saline groundwater. The lateral subsurface inflow to the Arava from west and east is characterized by fresh to brackish waters. The results of the present study indicate that salination of groundwater is controlled by both present day and ancient base levels, namely by the Dead Sea in the north and by the Gulf of Elat in the south. The configuration obtained by the TDEM survey exhibits interfaces and palaeo-interfaces between fresh to brackish waters and underlying seawater or diluted seawater intruded inland from both base levels as well as brines intruded from the northern base level. The central Arava structural and hydrological divide seems to escape seawater or brine encroachment at least to the considerable depth of the TDEM measurements.