Electrical resistivity tomography investigations along the planned dykes of the HPP Brežice water accumulation basin

Abstract

Geophysical investigations were conducted using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) along planned dykes of the HPP Brežice water accumulation basin. The ERT profile is 7.3 km long and is located on the right riverbank of the Sava River on the Kr{ko-Brežice field (E Slovenia). A purpose of the investigations was to determine a boundary between semipermeable Miocene and permeable Plio-Quaternary (Pl-Q) and Quaternary (Q) sediments for the proper design of the jet grouting sealing curtain, which will prevent lateral outflow of water from the accumulation basin. In this paper we present processing of the section between 5100 and 6100 m of the profile line. In this section the measurement template was set to 25 depth levels, because a significant increase in a thickness of the Pl-Q sediments was expected. Modelling of the measured apparent electrical resistivity data was carried out with RES2DINV and RESIX 2DI inversion software. Different inversion parameters were used to create 15 geoelectrical models for each program, which were then compared and evaluated based on borehole data and on previous geological investigations of the area. With the final geoelectrical models it was possible to successfully determine areas of three expected stratigraphic members and limit an electrical resistivity range for each one of them. The boundary is well defined between Q and Pl-Q and also between Q and Miocene sediments with sharp contrast in electrical resistivity between them. A boundary between Pl-Q and Miocene sediments was not that obvious, but it was possible to determine its shape by the use of different inversion parameters. We propose a simplified geological cross section based on the interpreted geoelectrical models and borehole data.