Aquifer parameter estimation from surface resistivity data

Abstract

This paper is devoted to the additional use, other than ground water exploration, of surface geoelectrical sounding data for aquifer hydraulic parameter estimation. In a mesoscopic framework, approximated analytical equations are developed separately for saline and for fresh water saturations. A few existing useful aquifer models, both for clean and shaley sandstones, are discussed in terms of their electrical and hydraulic effects, along with the linkage between the two. These equations are derived for insight and physical understanding of the phenomenon. In a macroscopic scale, a general aquifer model is proposed and analytical relations are derived for meaningful estimation, with a higher level of confidence, of hydraulic parameter from electrical parameters. The physical reasons for two different equations at the macroscopic level are explicitly explained to avoid confusion. Numerical examples from existing literature are reproduced to buttress our viewpoint.