Application of Geophysical Logging to Groundwater Studies in Southeastern Saskatchewan

Abstract

Single-point resistance and spontaneous potential logs in fresh-water filled rotary-drilled test-holes provide data useful in geohydrologic studies in Saskatchewan. These geophysical logs are made by many of the water well drilling contractors in Saskatchewan on a routine basis. The logs provide good resolution of various lithologic units and provide data required to estimate the salinity of water in sand beds prior to constructing a well.Caliper logging offers a potentially useful method for evaluating hole conditions and the effect of drilling techniques on the formation in completion zones. The casing collar locator log run in a previously constructed well near Estevan demonstrates that this device can provide an accurate and objective measurement of the position and length of each joint of casing, the position of the screen assembly, and the location of screened and blanked intervals within the screen assembly. This tool should find general application in water well construction and maintenance practice.The neutron-epithermal neutron log provides a method of measuring the porosity of sand and gravel beds. The response of the gamma log is similar to that of the spontaneous potential log and the neutron-epithermal neutron log deflects in a fashion similar to the resistance and resistivity logs. Nuclear logs offer the advantage that they can be run in cased or uncased boreholes which may be filled with any type of fluid. They require more complicated and expensive instrumentation and slow-speed logging to obtain the required resolution. The normal resistivity logs offer the possibility of determining the concentration of dissolved solids in the formation water. The gamma-gamma log is a poor alternative to the natural gamma and neutron log for stratigraphic correlations.