MODERN GEOPHYSICAL METHODS FOR SUBSURFACE WATER EXPLORATION

Abstract

The use of exploration geophysics in the discovery of oil is well known, but applications of these methods in exploration for subsurface water are less publicized and less well known, despite the fact that geophysics has been employed in this field for more than thirty years and has been developing continually. Consequently, this paper is oriented towards exploration geo‐geophysical methods for ground‐water supplies. After a summary of the history of the methods, the paper examines the geophysical methods employed with their respective advantages and drawbacks: electrical prospecting using “electrical soundings” and resistivity mapping, shallow refraction, spontaneous polarization, and induced polarization. The principal problems that may be resolved by geophysics are reviewed, as well as practical considerations concerning the composition of a crew, its production, and costs. Some examples of hydrology surveys are presented to illustrate different types of problems that may be encountered. In conclusion, a large expansion in geophysical exploration and particularly electrical methods is expected as the need for sub‐surface water supplies increases in various regions of the world and the existing deficient supplies become known in industrialized nations.