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Applicability of MRS Soundings for the Characterisation of the Unsaturated Zone of Karst Systems
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Near Surface Geoscience 2012 – 18th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Sep 2012, cp-306-00078
- ISBN: 978-90-73834-34-7
Abstract
This study aims to assess Magnetic Resonance Soundings (MRS) potential for the characterisation of the unsaturated zone of karst systems and thereby groundwater vulnerability assessment. The issues addressed are: (i) does water storage within the unsaturated zone of karst yield quantifiable MRS measurements ? if so, (ii) do different hydrogeological contexts yield different MRS signals ?, and (iii) what are the key factors influencing MRS signal ? The proposed methodology is based on a careful characterisation of the experimental sites, involving both hydrogeological and geomorphological analyses. MRS measurements have been performed on a total of 19 sites with varied hydrogeological and geomorphological setting. Analysis of the measured MRS signals shows that : (i) water storage within the unsaturated zone of karst does yield quantifiable MRS measurements, (ii) the first-order determinant of the MRS signals is the nature of the geological formation. These results confirm MRS applicability for the characterization of the unsaturated zone of karst aquifers and thereby vulnerability assessment. Future work will focus on the variability of the MRS response within a given geological formation.