THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE

VERTICAL ELECTRICAL SOUNDING

TECHNIQUE IN AQUIFER
CHARACTERIZATION

AFFIAH RAPHAEL PATRICK

1OO813007
supervisor: PROFESSOR E. A AYOLABI

OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

AQUIFER STRUCTURES

METHODOLOGY

CASE STUDIES

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Figure 1: Groundwater architecture after

INTRODUCTION
Pumping

tests can
produce reliable
estimates of
hydraulic parameters;

but

the estimates are

largely volumetric
averages and yields
results appropriate to
a small section of the
aquifer.
Figure 2: pumping test after Google images

INTRODUCTION

Slug test has the most

potential of the
traditional approaches
for detailed
characterization of the
variability of hydraulic
parameters.

But most sites do not

have the extensive well
network required for
effective application of
this approach
Figure 3: slug test after Google images

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND

DEVELOPMENT

In the period from 1912 to 1914, Conrad

Schlumberger began his pioneering studies
which lead to an understanding of the
merits of utilizing electrical resistivity
methods for exploring the subsurface.

Applying electrical methods to groundwater

exploration began during World War II.

French, Russian, and German geophysicists

are mainly responsible for the development
of the theory and practice of direct current
electrical prospecting methods.

Although the methods were developed in

the early 1900s, they have become very
much more widely used since the 1970s,
due
primarily
to
the
availability
of
computers to process and analyse the data. Figure 4: Conrad Schlumberger after Google images

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this seminar report is to review the

effectiveness of the vertical electrical sounding technique
(VES) in aquifer characterization.

Objectives:

To better understand the concept and theory behind the

Vertical Electrical Sounding technique;

To elucidate the link between the geoelectric section and

the geologic section;

To highlight the advantages and limitations of VES;

To review case studies where VES has been successfully

applied in aquifer characterization.

AQUIFER STRUCTURES

Figure 5: Schematic Cross-sections of Aquifer Types

AQUIFER PARAMETERS

Figure 6: Aquifer parameters after Google images

METHODOLOGY

Figure 7: Basic principles (after Reynolds, 1997)

Figure 8: resistivities of rocks and minerals

ELECTRODE CONFIGURATION

Figure 9: electrode array configuration (after Reynolds, 1997)

THE VERTICAL ELECTRICAL SOUNDING TECHNIQUE

Figure 10: Data acquisition and interpretation (after Reynolds, 1997)

GEOELECTRIC PARAMETERS

A geologic section differs from a

geoelectric
section
when
the
boundaries between geologic layers
do not coincide with the boundaries
between layers characterized by
different resistivities.

Thus,
the
electric
boundaries
separating
layers
of
different
resistivities
may
or
may
not
coincide with boundaries separating
layers of different geologic age or
different lithologic composition
Figure 11: Geoelectric parameters (after Zohdy et al., 1974)

ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS

LIMITATIONS

ADVANTAGES
Cost-effective and employs
destructive field techniques;

non-

presence of very high or very low

resistivity
surface
soils
can
affect
Effective in assessing the quality of interpretation;
groundwater and therefore can be there is no unique solution and a number
used to locate the saline/fresh of equivalent models are found;
groundwater interface;
Dipping layers distort the measurements
To delineate the geometry of aquifers
and produce ambiguities;
and zones favourable for ground
Overlapping resistivity ranges and a very
water accumulation;
Provides
useful
information
on wide range of resistivity makes it difficult to
lithologic characterization, depth to characterize ground water targets by their
resistive
bedrock,
direction
of resistivities unless standardized locally;
groundwater flow, orientation of Also, the accuracy and resolution of the
fracture zones, and the locations of response decreases with increasing depth
faults and paleo-channels, as well as
and decreasing contrasts in resistivity
cavities in limestone.

The

CASE STUDY
Application of vertical electrical soundings to characterize
aquifer potential in Ota, South western Nigeria.
A. P. Aizebeokhai and O. A. Oyebanjo (2013).
In

this research, the aim was to use the geoelectrical

resistivity data to characterize and evaluate the aquifer
potential at Covenant University, Ota, south-western, Nigeria;
Schlumberger

soundings;
A

electrode configuration was to obtain the

total of thirty-five vertical electrical soundings (VES) were

conducted within the study area so as to delineate the
subsurface lithological configuration, depth to aquifer(s) and
aquifer characteristics.

Figure 12: Map showing the study area and locations of VES points (Aizebeokhai and

Figure 13: Representative of the iterated VES curves showing the

inverse models of the geoelectrical parameters (after Aizebeokhai and

Table 1: Hydraulic parameters estimated from inverse model resistivity

parameters (after Aizebeokhai and Oyebanjo, 2013).

CONCLUSION

This seminar report has reviewed case studies that illustrated

how the vertical electrical sounding technique, can be used to:
characterize aquifers- identifying parts of the aquifer with best
potential yields, estimate subsurface hydrological properties
or state variables, and monitor subsurface processes
associated with natural or engineered in-situ perturbations to
the subsurface system.

The geoelectrical parameters obtained were used to estimate

the longitudinal conductance, and transverse resistance which
are reflective of the hydraulic properties of the aquifer.

These and many other studies have now demonstrated that

geoelectrical resistivity method can successfully be used to
gain insight about subsurface hydrological processes, provide
input that improves flow and transport predictions, and
provide information over spatial scales that are relevant to the
management of water resources and contaminant remediation.

THANK YOU