Geophysical methods application in groundwater natural protection against pollution

Abstract

Natural protection against groundwater pollution mostly depends on water-bearing bed coverage with permeable rocks presenting a good or bad pollution intrusion barrier between the surface and subterranean water. Additional positive effects of polluted groundwater self-purification in these zones are visible. Natural protection from surface pollutants primarily depends on natural (geological) factors: (1) presence of poorly permeable rocks; (2) depth, lithology (grain-size distribution), and filtration features of rocks covering groundwater reservoirs; and (3) aquifer depth. In contrast to artesian aquifers, quantitative and qualitative evaluation for natural protection of intergranular aquifers with a free water surface is significantly complicated. In this case, the estimation is possible with the help of a specially developed statistical method, which requires the following elements referring to the zone of aeration: (1) poorly permeable strata depth; (2) filtration features; (3) groundwater level depth; and (4) lithology. For quantitative evaluation, it is necessary to know the time interval for pollution propagating from surface of the terrain to the free water surface. Describe access is particularly useful in the domain of zones of sanitary protection defined around the source of groundwater. This exploration method could be considerably rationalized by geophysical methods application. Various methods are useful, namely: electric mapping and sounding, self-potential method, seismic reflection and refraction methods, gravity and geomagnetic methods, the “turam” method, and different well-logging measurements (gamma ray, gammagamma, radioactivity log, and thermal log). In the paper, geophysical methods applictations in natural protection against groundwater pollution and appropriate critical analysis are presented. The results of this paper are based on the experience and application of geophysical methods to groundwater studies in Yugoslavia by the author.