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Delineating subsurface heterogeneity at a loop of River Steinlach using geophysical and hydrogeological methods

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Abstract

Stratigraphic heterogeneity is a key controlling factor for flow and transport in groundwater systems. In this case study, we have combined two- and three-dimensional images of electric resistivity with hydrogeological data to delineate such stratigraphic heterogeneity at a loop of River Steinlach close to Tübingen, Germany, where we estimated spatially varying aquifer parameters using established evaluation techniques. We developed a three-layer stratigraphic model consisting of heterogeneous sandy gravel overlain by a fine alluvium including top soil, and underlain by sandstone weathered at its top. The sandy gravel makes up the aquifer unit while we interpret the sandstone as aquitard. We classified the area into two stratigraphic segments based on resistivity data. The Southern segment consists of a thicker alluvium where the aquifer material contains more clay than in the Northern segment. Two different stratigraphic structures were also delineated at the Southern and Northern segments, respectively. These structures are visible in inversion results as low-resistivity features trending in the SE–NW in the Southern segment and NE–NW in the Northern segment. Both structures may be previous flow paths of River Steinlach, and the low permeability material overlying them may impair flow exchange in the area. We performed slug and pumping tests to estimate the hydraulic conductivity (K) of the aquifer. The K distributions show slight variation with higher values obtained at wells within the Northern segment and close to the river bank. A qualitative comparison of measured hydraulic conductivities with the resistivity distribution shows good agreement of the spatial patterns. The stratigraphic and hydraulic heterogeneities delineated in this work are important for experimental and modeling studies of flow, transport, and hyporheic exchange at the site.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dennis Lemke, Marc Schwientek, Karsten Osenbrück, Thomas Woehling and the members of the Water and Earth System Science (WESS) competence cluster, Tübingen, for their support during the field work and provision of other logistics to ensure the successful completion of this work. Financial support was given by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the “Geotechnologien” program, subprogram “Tomography of the Earth’s Crust”, project “TOMOME: tomographic methods in hydrogeology”. We also want to thank three anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments that helped to improve this manuscript.

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  1. Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Kennedy O. Doro, Carsten Leven & Olaf A. Cirpka

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  1. Kennedy O. Doro
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Correspondence to Kennedy O. Doro.

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Doro, K.O., Leven, C. & Cirpka, O.A. Delineating subsurface heterogeneity at a loop of River Steinlach using geophysical and hydrogeological methods. Environ Earth Sci 69, 335–348 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2316-0

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