Hydrogeological processes in fractured and porous media: insights from geophysical case studies

This presentation focuses on geophysical case studies with the aim to highlight the possibilities to study and monitor hydrogeological processes in the subsurface, including transport processes in fractured or in porous media. The presentation emphasizes two geoelectrical methods, namely electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) which images the electrical resistivity distribution of the subsurface and self-potential (SP) whose measured signal is directly sensitive to groundwater fluxes.
The first case study concerns the geophysical identification and characterization of large hydraulically-active fractured areas in calcareous synclines and in particular the assessment of the joint use of ERT and SP to set up new piezometers in fractured limestone. This assessment shows that piezometers drilled inside less resistive areas and/or in negative SP anomalies presented high hydraulic capacities. Inversely, piezometers drilled inside more resistive zones and/or outside an SP anomaly presented low hydraulic capacities. The SP anomaly related to preferential flow in fractures was thus demonstrated for the first time. All these fractures information, obtained with geophysics, improved the conceptualization and calibration of the groundwater flow model of the calcareous valley.
A seasonal monitoring of SP signals proved to be a successful methodology to better understand the hydrodynamics of calcareous aquifers and in particular to follow the seasonal drawdown of the water table in the calcareous valley. Different methodologies to delineate the main groundwater flow direction were also tested. The latter can be achieved for example by drawing an SP map showing the main hydraulic gradients or by monitoring a salt tracer test with ERT to highlight preferential flow in fractures.
The second case study concerns the ERT monitoring of a shallow geothermal test conducted in a porous medium (sand). The main objective of this study was to derive temperature from a series of electrical resistivity images since the electrical resistivity is directly sensitive to temperature changes. This field work demonstrates that surface electric resistivity tomography can monitor heat injection and storage experiments in shallow aquifers providing a number of practical applications, such as the monitoring or the design of shallow geothermal systems or the use of heated water to replace salt water in tracer tests.
Through these two different case studies, this presentation also emphasizes in a practical way on the importance of data inversion and image appraisal since these issues are crucial to quantitatively study hydrogeological processes.