Small-scale electrical borehole imaging of fractures in Permo-Triassic sandstone

The increasing interest in the nature of fill material in fractures, driven by research into the disposal of radioactive wastes in crystalline rocks and the migration of non-aqueous phase liquids, has resulted in a renewed emphasis on the study of fractures. One current investigation is an project funded in the UK by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) entitled 'Sediment-filled fractures in Triassic Sandstones - pathways or barriers to contaminant migration?'. Part of this study involved the drilling of three test boreholes on the campus of the University of Birmingham and a detailed investigation of the fractures encountered in the boreholes with packer testing, core logging, core sampling and wire-line logging. An associated project was the design and testing of a high-resolution imaging tool for the investigation of the various fractures encountered in the boreholes. This poster presents the preliminary results of the imaging.