Estimation of Groundwater in Tarim Basin from Three-dimensional Resistivity Model Constructed by Magnetotelluric Data

Abstract

Groundwater is an important resource of irrigation and domestic water in Tarim Basin (TB), the largest arid inland basin in China. Hydrogeologic models and hydrogeochemical analysis have provided information of groundwater flow, salinity and hydrochemical type in TB. However, there is lacking in quantitative estimation of groundwater volume due to that the underground aquifer structure is unclear. To address the problem, magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected in TB and subsurface electrical resistivity were produced by MT inversion. To estimate the porosity of aquifers by resistivity, we should determine the resistivity of groundwater which is controlled by the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water. From the previously published data, TDS increases from piedmont plain to alluvial plain along groundwater flow direction in TB and other similar settings. In terms of spatial distribution of TDS and 3-D resistivity model, the effective porosity of aquifers in the study area was calculated. Finally, by taking account of the water table and thickness of Quaternary sediments collected by BGP Inc., the total groundwater volume was estimated in northern parts of TB.