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ERT, SRT and drilling logs to investigate the Hydrogeological Heterogeneity of an Aquifer in CEER, Susquehanna University.

    Korba, Abby, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870, korba@susqu.edu; Lachhab, Ahmed, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870; Brion, Skylar, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Susquehanna University,Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870; Day, Brandon, Earth and Environmental Sciences,Susquehanna University, 514 University Ave, Selinsgrove, PA, 17870.

    The understanding of aquifer hydrogeological heterogeneities facilitates the crucial role they play in how groundwater flows and how solute transport disperses. Geophysics, a non-invasive tool, has become an integral part of hydrogeological investigations for characterizing aquifer heterogeneities. This study provides an overview of the use of multiple geophysics methods, in addition to three drilling logs, in the investigation of the heterogeneity of an unconfined aquifer at the Center for Environmental Education and Research (CEER), Susquehanna University. Both Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Seismic Refraction Tomography (SRT) complemented by drilling logs and geological mappings, were used in this study. Eleven ERT profiles and eleven SRT profiles, in addition to three drilling logs, were used to investigate the hydrogeological composition of this site. ERT clearly showed groundwater preferential flow detected in the middle of the surveyed site, while SRT revealed four distinct geological formations between the ground surface and the bedrock. Drilling logs matched the data with layers of silt, clay, and sandy-gravel zones. The integration of both geophysical techniques with the drilling logs provides a more accurate representation of the heterogeneity of the aquifer.

    Aquifer Heterogeneity, ERT, SRT