Volume 24, Issue 1, August 2018, Pages 9–16
Byamungu Mayange1, Ngenzebuhoro Claver2, Kiro Kubuya3, and Guy SHUNGU LAMA4
1 College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Daegu University, South Korea
2 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Burundi, Burundi
3 Centre d’Expertise et d’Etude Géologique, CEEG, RD Congo
4 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geology, University of Goma, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2018 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
A natural and instantaneous geophysical method for groundwater investigation in volcanic formations of Kibumba area has been developed. A geophysical evaluation using Electrical Resistivity method for groundwater investigation was carried out which involved the utilization of Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) technique with Schlumberger array system. The study area is located within the igneous rocks, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The data acquired from twelve (12) VES stations using ABEM terrameter (SAS 1000) was tabulated in a table which shows the resistivity, the thicknesses and the number of layers for each VES station. The data was analysed using computer inversion software called INTERPEX1D, which yield an automatic interpretation of the apparent resistivity. The VES results revealed heterogeneous nature of the subsurface geological sequence. The geological profile sequence in the study area includes the topsoil (clay and fragments rocks and/or boulders formations of basalt), weathered layer (and/or fractured basalt) and fresh basement. The value for topsoil ranges from 10 Ωm to 1500 Ωm with thickness varies from 0.3 m to 10 m. The weathered layer (and/or fractured basalt) resistivity ranges from 100 Ωm to 2000 Ωm and thickness of 3 m to 20 m. The fresh basalt or bedrock basement ranges in value from 30 Ωm to 3000 Ωm with an unknown thickness due to the volcanic formation in the study area. However, the bedrock depth of all the VES stations from the earth’s surface could range from 1 m to 34 m. Based on the result of VES data, the proper area for making boreholes would be VES Kibumba 2, VES Kibumba 5 and VES Kibumba 9.
Author Keywords: Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Groundwater potential aquifers, topsoil, weathered layer, fractured basalt layer, fresh basalt.
Byamungu Mayange1, Ngenzebuhoro Claver2, Kiro Kubuya3, and Guy SHUNGU LAMA4
1 College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Daegu University, South Korea
2 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Burundi, Burundi
3 Centre d’Expertise et d’Etude Géologique, CEEG, RD Congo
4 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geology, University of Goma, RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2018 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
A natural and instantaneous geophysical method for groundwater investigation in volcanic formations of Kibumba area has been developed. A geophysical evaluation using Electrical Resistivity method for groundwater investigation was carried out which involved the utilization of Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) technique with Schlumberger array system. The study area is located within the igneous rocks, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The data acquired from twelve (12) VES stations using ABEM terrameter (SAS 1000) was tabulated in a table which shows the resistivity, the thicknesses and the number of layers for each VES station. The data was analysed using computer inversion software called INTERPEX1D, which yield an automatic interpretation of the apparent resistivity. The VES results revealed heterogeneous nature of the subsurface geological sequence. The geological profile sequence in the study area includes the topsoil (clay and fragments rocks and/or boulders formations of basalt), weathered layer (and/or fractured basalt) and fresh basement. The value for topsoil ranges from 10 Ωm to 1500 Ωm with thickness varies from 0.3 m to 10 m. The weathered layer (and/or fractured basalt) resistivity ranges from 100 Ωm to 2000 Ωm and thickness of 3 m to 20 m. The fresh basalt or bedrock basement ranges in value from 30 Ωm to 3000 Ωm with an unknown thickness due to the volcanic formation in the study area. However, the bedrock depth of all the VES stations from the earth’s surface could range from 1 m to 34 m. Based on the result of VES data, the proper area for making boreholes would be VES Kibumba 2, VES Kibumba 5 and VES Kibumba 9.
Author Keywords: Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES), Groundwater potential aquifers, topsoil, weathered layer, fractured basalt layer, fresh basalt.
How to Cite this Article
Byamungu Mayange, Ngenzebuhoro Claver, Kiro Kubuya, and Guy SHUNGU LAMA, “The Application of Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) for the hydrogeological and Geophysical Investigations in Kibumba Area, DR Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 9–16, August 2018.
