Evaluation of the transient electromagnetic geophysical method for stratigraphic mapping and hydrogeological delineation in Campos Basin,Brazil

Abstract

The applicability of the Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) geophysical method for stratigraphic mapping and hydrogeological delineation has been tested in terrestrial part of the Campos Basin in Brazil. The study area is located within the fluvial plain of Paraiba do Sul River, at the W edge of the continental portion of the Basin, geologically consisting of Tertiary and Quaternary sediments and a gneissic basement. Around 32 central loop TEM soundings were made with 10 or20 m-sided transmitter loops, to map the conductive and/or resistive zones in the subsurface, which were correlated with lithology from a drilled borehole in the test area, whose location was indicated by the present study. In general, the one-dimensional (1D) models constructed for the TEM field data suggest a 3-layer resistivity structure characterized by a resistor-conductor-resistor pattern. The shallow section of 100-500 ohm.m and 50 m average thickness is interpreted as correlating with clay and shaly sand formations. The intermediate layer, with thickness around 20 m and resistivity less than 10 ohm.m, corresponds to clay. The basal resistor of 10-100 ohm.m at depths of more than 60 m at most sites is interpreted as the combined signature of the basal conglomerates, shaly sands and crystalline basement. Comparison with borehole data shows that the zone corresponding to the conductive geoelectrical units contains many thin layers of clay and sand that cannot be individually resolved by the TEM data and that there are no thick aquifers in the investigated area. In addition to that the shaly sand sediments have iron rich clays, which pollute groundwater, deeper resistive layers formed by conglomerates are considered the main aquifers of this area.