A 3D ERT and Induced Polarization Approach for Exploring Deep Aquifers

Under the pressure of climate change, reduced precipitation, including snowfall, which makes a major contribution to groundwater recharge, inevitably leads to lower water levels in both alluvial and crystalline basement aquifers. The ground water available is actually getting deeper and deeper.

What technical approaches are available to support integrated management of groundwater resources?

This paper illustrates the use of a nodal electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) system in Italy aiming for helping the setting of potential zones for drilling. The survey covers an area of about 95 hectares for maximizing the exploration depth down to about 425 meters from ground level. Together with geological knowledge of the area, newly collected measurements, make it possible to highlight mineralogical/textural, geological-structural variations and tectonic discontinuities in terms of subsurface electrical resistivity. The area is characterized by the outcrop of predominantly Tertiary (pre-Orogenetic) and only minimally Quaternary (post-Orogenetic) rocks.The complex geology and the poor access forced the scientist to choose a unconventional method based on the FullWaver system and ErtLab Studio software.

The ERT and induced polarization survey results gave enough evidences to the stake holders for selecting three potential zones.