Geophysical Characterization of Aquifers in Southeast Spain Using ERT, TDEM, and Vertical Seismic Reflection

We assess the effectiveness of complementary geophysical techniques to characterize a Jurassic dolomite confined aquifer at Loma de Ubeda, Spain. This aquifer, which is penetrated by wells in the 100–600-m depth range, is confined by Triassic clays (bottom) and Miocene marls (top). The Jurassic dolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied sciences Vol. 10; no. 20; p. 7365
Main Authors Rey, Javier, Martínez, Julián, Mendoza, Rosendo, Sandoval, Senén, Tarasov, Vladimir, Kaminsky, Alex, Hidalgo, M. Carmen, Morales, Kevin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2020
Subjects
Amplitudes
Aquifers
Clay
Configurations
Confined aquifers
Dolomite
Electrical resistivity
electrical resistivity tomography
Electrodes
Fault detection
Fault lines
Geology
Geophysical methods
Groundwater
Jurassic
Jurassic dolomite aquifer
loma de Úbeda
Miocene
Prospecting
Sediments
seismic reflection
Seismic surveys
Spain
time-domain electromagnetic
Tomography
Triassic
Spain
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Summary:We assess the effectiveness of complementary geophysical techniques to characterize a Jurassic dolomite confined aquifer at Loma de Ubeda, Spain. This aquifer, which is penetrated by wells in the 100–600-m depth range, is confined by Triassic clays (bottom) and Miocene marls (top). The Jurassic dolomite is characterized by prominent seismic reflectors of high amplitude. Thus, it is readily differentiated from the low-amplitude reflectors of the confining clay-rich Triassic and Miocene materials. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) allowed us to detail the characteristics of the aquifer up to a maximum depth of 220 m. Lateral changes in facies and small faults have been identified using ERT. Time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) is an excellent complement to the two above-mentioned techniques in order to widen the analyzed depth range. We acquire TDEM data with different configurations at multiple study sites while simultaneously varying measurement parameters. In doing so and by comparing the effectiveness of these different configurations, we expand the use of TDEM for aquifer characterization.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app10207365