Delineation of Shallow Stratigraphy and Aquifer Formation at Kahe Basin, Tanzania: Implication for Potential Aquiferous Formation

Abstract

Electrical resistivity method was conducted at Kahe-Mtakuja basin aimed at appraising the potential of the basin as a source of groundwater by establishing shallow stratigraphy and delineating aquifer formations. A total of fifty-eight vertical electrical sounding data (VES) were acquired using Schlumberger array and the data were analyzed to obtain apparent resistivity and layer depth. The interpretation of resistivity data revealed three main geoelectric layers. The first layer has resistivity values ranging from 40 to 230 Ωm with thickness ranging from 0.4 to 2 m. The second layer has resistivity values in the range of 2 to 10 Ωm and thickness of 2 to 25 m. The third layer has slightly high resistivity values ranging from 10 to 60 Ωm and thickness in the range of 30 to 70 m. This layer is mainly dominated with sand. The resistivity cross-sections constructed from the interpretation of VES data indicate that the Kahe-Mtakuja basin has shallow stratigraphy consisting of 3 layers. The layers are composed mainly of top red soil, clay (sometime alternating with sand) and sand formation holding the groundwater. These findings are consistent with lithological logs of the borehole drilled near Kahe-Mtakuja that indicate two to five layers composed of alluvial deposits alternating with different lithological thicknesses. The high correlation between the VES results and borehole lithological logs near Kahe-Mtakuja suggests that the area is potential for aquiferous formation. Based on constructed stratigraphy, the aquifer formation of the basin is found in alluvial deposits composed of mainly sand. The potentiality of this area for aquiferous formation is vital for providing additional baseline data on the aquifer characteristics and will assist in reducing water scarce in the area.