Two-Dimensional Electrical Resistivity Profiling for Fracture Detection in Volcanic Aquifers of the Plateaus Area of Ecuador

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2-2022

Department

Department of Social Sciences

Abstract

The Quito Aquifer System (QAS) of Ecuador is critical for providing potable water to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and its metropolitan area. The QAS is a complex basin of sedimentary volcanic deposits. However, local and regional groundwater flows are at least significantly affected by faulting and fracturing in this tectonically active area. The Plateaus Region of the QAS is a very important source of water supplies. Springs and wells provide all the drinking water needed for the population centers settled in the Plateaus Region. As an initial step to evaluate the faulting and fracturing of the Plateaus, a lineament map of the Plateaus of the QAS was created using remote sensing and digital terrain analysis. Shallow geophysical methods were used as an independent approach to confirming the presence of fractures. Shallow geophysical methods are especially appropriate for confirming the presence, extent, and orientation of geological lineaments and detecting the presence of water in the fractures. Two-dimensional electrical resistivity profiling (2D-ER) was applied to define the extent and depth of shallow geological structural tectonic features mapped in the lineament analysis. Results indicate that lineaments are represented underground by fractures with an average depth of about 60 m.

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