Hydraulic parameters evaluation of the Pan-African aquifer by applying an alternative geoelectrical approach based on vertical electrical soundings

Abstract

The present article aims at determining hydraulic parameters of the Pan-African aquifer in the region of Adamawa-Cameroon, namely the transmissivity (T) and the hydraulic conductivity (K). For this, fifty vertical electrical soundings (VESs),including 14 performed near existing boreholes with known values of water resistivity, have been conducted in the region using the Terrameter ABEMSAS-1000 with a spacing of current electrodes (AB) varying from 2 to 600 m.The curve matching technique is used to set structural parameters then, an inverse technique algorithm fits both theoretical and field curves for each experimental. The transverse resistance TR and the transmissivity T for the interpreted 14 VES are computed, then used to establish two relationships: one between the modified transverse resistance (MTR) andthe transverse resistance (TR) and another between MTR and the transmissivity (T).This enabled to compute MTR (ranged from 1526 to 28209 ?.m² with an average of 7873 ?.m²),TR (ranged from 24 to 31350 ?.m² with an average of 7476 ?.m²), T (ranged from 4 to 17.4 m²/day with an average of 7.23 m²/day) and K (ranged from 0.07 to 0.74 m/day with an average of 0.31 m/day) values in the whole region. The approach used for this purpose is effective and exportable to other Pan-African regions in the world.