Ground Water Exploration for

Aquifer Mapping.

K.Ramanand
K.Sivashanmuganathan
Central Ground Water Board, SECR
Chennai.
Ground Water Exploration..
Though the ground water resources are widely distributed, Nature does
not provide ground water at the places of our choice.
The occurrence and distribution of ground water resources are
confined to certain geological formations and structures.

The ground water at all locations may not be directly used if the quality
of water is poor.

All these problems can be solved using proper exploration techniques.

Explore is derived from Latin word explore meaning- to learn or

investigate.

The proper exploration of ground water resources involves apart from

source location, the well design and construction. These are all an
integral part of the scheme of exploitation & management.
GROUND WATER EXPLORATION HISTORY

The development of water resources seems

to have started first in India & Egypt.
Open wells for irrigation & drinking water
were in common use in India as early as in
the Mahabharata period about 6,000 years
ago.
Exploitation of ground water on modern
lines can be said to have started at the turn
of the century. The first tube well was sunk
in 1935 in UttarPradesh
Objectives
The primary objective of the Aquifer
Mapping Programme is to prepare micro-
level aquifer information system with
1:50,000 or larger scale aquifer map and
develop Aquifer Management Plans, which
will allow institutions and stakeholders to
effectively understand and manage
groundwater resources at regional and
local level.
 Not only find water but also to get
information for GW management system.
To delineate the phreatic and deeper
aquifers and their aquifer parameters.
To find out ground water potential in
single layer or multiple layer.
Correlation of sub-surface lithology to
depict the same aquifer zones..
GROUND WATER EXPLORATION

AERIAL

SURFACE

SUB-SURFACE

ESOTERIC.
Methods..
AERIAL SURFACE SUB- Esoteric
SURFACE.
Photogeological Geological methods Geological Water divining
methods methods
Landsad/IRS Geomorphological Hydrogeological Astrological
methods methods
Infra red imagery Hydrogeological Tracer Biophysical
methods Techniques
Electro magnetic Geophysical methods Geological
(EM) techniques a) Electrical logging
Resistivity and Electro techniques
magnetic
b)Magnetic
c)Seismic
d) Gravity
Geobotanical
methods
Geochemical methods
Site selection planning..
Site selection for a groundwater
abstraction structures is rely upon
several phenomena like geology,
hydrogeology, geomorphology,
topography and vegetation
It is a challenge in regions where
ground water flow is restricted to
sparse and narrow fractures
If we can achieve an accurate
understanding of a site's geology and
hydrogeology, predicting the drilling
site is an easy one.
Site Selection planning..
Locate aquifers capable of
yielding water of suitable
quality in economic quantities
for drinking, irrigation and
industrial purposes by
employing geological,
geophysical, drilling techniques
Site Selection Planning..
HYDROGEOLOGICAL STUDY
Hydrogeological studies enable large
areas to be rapidly and economically
appraised on a preliminary basis as to
their potential for ground water
development
The investigation begins with the
collection, analysis, and hydrogeologic
interpretation of existing topographic
maps, aerial photographs, geologic
maps and logs, and other pertinent
records
This approach should be regarded as a
first step in any site selection as no
expensive equipment is required.
 AIRBORNE ELECTROMAGNETIC
SURVEY
The advantage of airborne system is the rapid data acquisition
over large areas & thus the technique is ideally suited to regional
studies.

Airborne electromagnetic survey [AEM] provides rapid

assessment
of the bulk resistivity of the subsurface of the large area.

AEM survey is conducted from the aircraft @ height range of 60 to

120 meters.

Generally in airborne electromagnetic survey [AEM] the primary

magnetic field is generated through transmitter coil and the
secondary magnetic field is picked up by the receiver coil
GW exploration for AM..
Selection of Rig..
Hard rock:
Percussion rig
DTH Rig.
Sedimentary rock:
Direct rotary, calyx,
Reverse rotary.
Pinpointing the sites..
Already drilled wells are taken into consideration,
the data gaps will be identified.

The sites are selected in grid pattern at various

locations.

No of wells, the depth, the diameter will be

determined.
Depth of exploration fixation..
First phreatic aquifers
May be restricted upto 40m depth having
zone of fluctuation for specific yield
determination.
Deeper phreatic aquifers
For determination of static resources
within exploitable limit of deeper aquifers
may be 60 m.
Depth of exploration fixation..
Deeper Aquifers
For assessing the static resources, the
entire thickness of the aquifer may be
penetrated.
Tentatively
200 m in consolidated formation, probably
hard rock.
300 m in semi consolidated and
unconsolidated, may be sedimentary rocks.
Piezometer nests.
For multilayered formations, instead of
drilling test bore wells, multi-level depth of
borewells may be drilled, termed a
Piezometer nest
It is helpful to find out storage and yielding
capacity of the each layer and also for
future plan for development for different
purposes such as drinking, irrigation and
industrial uses.
Piezometer nests.
Piezometer nests.
 Hydrological classification of
geological formations

Aquifer Yield significant quantity of

water
Aquiclude-Porous but has low
permeability
Aquitard-Intermediate between
Aquiclude and Aquifer
Aquifuge-Neither porous nor permeable
Types of aquifers
Shallow Aquifers
May consist of weathered mantle, jointed
zones overlying the first massive zone. May
be up to a depth of 20 to 30mbgl
Deeper Aquifers
Aquifer occurring below the first upper
layer irrespective of their depth may be
considered as deeper aquifers.
Aquifer conditions..
Three type of aquifers

Confined

Unconfined and Leaky

Leaky aquifer sometimes called semi-

confined
Aquifer Types
Confined Aquifer..
A aquifer is bounded between aquicludes, which
are impervious in nature and then it is a confined
aquifer.
Water occurs under pressure.
Water level will rise to an elevation to balance
with atmospheric pressure.
Hence some places makes flowing wells
Or the imaginary surface conforming the
elevation of water level is known as
piezometric surface or potentiometric
surface.
Confined Aquifer
Completely saturated
Lower and upper boundaries impervious
layers
Pressure of water is usually higher than
atmosphere
Water stands above the top of aquifer
Water in confined aquifer is called
confined or artesian water
Confined Aquifer..
Confined Aquifer..
CGWB Flowing well..
Unconfined aquifer

Permeable bed partially filled with water

Upper boundary formed by a free water
table or phreatic level under atmospheric
pressure
Phreatic level does not rise except there
is a vertical flow
In fine grained aquifer, gravity drainage is
not instantaneous-some time after
lowering water table-Delayed yield
Confined aquifer

29
Semi-confined or leaky aquifer

Completely saturated aquifer

Bounded by semi-pervious layer above or
either impervious or semi-pervious below
Semi-pervious layer has low, though
measurable permeability

Pumping generates vertical flow of water

from semi-pervious layer to pumped
aquifer
Hydraulic conductivity of semi-pervious
layer is usually small. Horizontal flow
component is negligible
Aquifer Parameters..
Unconfined aquifers: Hydraulic
conductivity, Specific Yield, Specific
Capacity
Confined aquifers: Transmissivity,
Storage coefficient
Semi-confined aquifers: Transmissivity,
Storage coefficient, Leakage coefficient
and Leakage factor.
Types Of Formations

Homogeneous

Heterogeneous

Isotropic

Anisotropic
Types of formation..
The hydraulic conductivity same through
the geological formation is homogeneous.
The hydraulic conductivity different in
different locations, it is heterogeneous.
The hydraulic conductivity is same in all
directions , then it is isotropic.
The hydraulic conductivity is different in
different directions, then it is anisotropic.
Combination of formations..
The hydraulic conductivity is same in all directions and
same throughout the formation, it is isotropic and
homogeneous.
The hydraulic conductivity is same in all directions and
not same throughout the formation, it is isotropic and
heterogeneous.
The hydraulic conductivity is different in different
directions and same throughout the formation , it is
anisotropic and homogeneous.
The hydraulic conductivity is different in different
directions and not same throughout the formation , it is
anisotropic and heterogeneous.
Figures..
Hydraulic Resistance (c)
The hydraulic resistance is the resistance of
an aquitard to vertical flow. It has
dimension in times and unit is generally
days.
c = D/K
Where K is hydraulic conductivity in m/day
D is the thickness in metres.
Leakage Factor (L)
The leakage factor is a measure for the
spatial distribution of the leakage through
an aquitard in to leaky aquifer.

L= KDc
Where
c is hydraulic resistance
K is hydraulic conductivity
D is the thickness of formation
For AM
Geophysical may be done in grid pattern
Other bore wells drilled nearby if any,
data to be collected.
Extension of fracture may be traced
hydogeologicaly.
Possible bore well site may be identified
and pinpointed to encounter the same
fracture in possible lateral extent..
Connectivity of the fracture pattern..
Hosur Silk farm ,Dharmapuri district
The bore wells were drilled at a distance of
1000m from the Hosur lake is an example
for positive recharge boundary in hard rock.
The bore well was drilled upto 135.44mbgl.
Three set of fractures were occurred from
121 to 135mbgl. The lake acts as
distance source for the bore wells. The
discharge of the bore well was 6.62 lps. It
was found the yield is decreased when the
lake was dry in summer.
GW Exploration for AM..
Alagarkoil, Madurai district
The bore wells were selected based on
the assumption of deep seated fractures
might occurred by tectonic activity due to
hillocks of Alagarkoil range comprising
granite and quartz veins. 3 nos of bore
wells drilled to a depth from 200
mbgl to 215mbgl and the discharge
is 12 lps encountered at 165mbgl.
GW Exploration for AM..
 A total of 20 exploratory wells have
been drilled between 1993 &1996
Thickness of overburden ranged from 3-
35.5m
Maximum discharge was recorded at
Usilampatty-21.72litres per second
Potential fractures along Valandur-
Usilampatty-
Thimmarasanaickannur,Thirali-Peraiyur
&Palkalainagar-Nilayur belt
 The high yields of the borewells
aregenerally in the direction of lineaments
of NE-SW,NW-SE
High yielding well have been drilled at
Valandur,Usilampatty,Peraiyur,Thirali,Nilay
ur,Palkalai nagar,Alagarkoil,
Thank You