Electrical resistivity survey for predicting Samsor aquifer properties, southeast Iran

Abstract

IntroductionSamsor aquifer lies in arid area in Samsor plain about 180 km southwest of Zahedancity in Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeast Iran. This research deals with theassessment of the aquifer conditions and to obtain adequate knowledge of the ground-water resource to protect groundwater supplies as a unique source of water for theregion. An electrical resistivity survey which involving vertical electrical soundings(VES) was carried out for evaluating hydrogeological conditions of subsurface se-quences. The aquifer conditions such as depth, thickness, and aquifer boundaries in-vestigated. Vertical electrical soundings by Schlumberger array were conducted in thestudy area. The resistivity Schlumberger soundings which have a maximum currentelectrode spacing (AB) ranging from 600 m to 800 m were carried out at 301 positionsin 31 profiles. Interpretation of these soundings indicates the presence of an uncon-fined alluvial aquifer with noticeable extent. The average permeability coefficient andresistivity in the southern part, especially southeast is higher than the northern part ofthe aquifer. The high resistivity of southern part is due to the water quality and theexistence of alluvial fan with coarse grain materials. Low aquifer resistivities in thenorth are associated with finer materials and brackish water. In addition, zones withhigh yield potential have been determined as best locations for drilling and groundwa-ter exploitations based on the resistivity data.DiscussionThe Samsor aquifer with about 35 km length and about 15 km wide is located in the