united states department of the interior … · rijkswaterstaat, 1969; zohdy, 1965). the ves curves...

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

RESISTIVITY SECTIONS, UPPER ARKANSAS

RIVER BASIN, COLORADO

AdelA. R. Zohdy, Lloyd A. Hershey,

Philip A. Emery, and William D. Stanley

OPEN-FILE REPORT

71002

Colorado District

Water Resources Division

Denver, Colorado

June 1971

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

RESISTIVITY SECTIONS, UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN, COLORADO

By

Adel A. R. Zohdy, Lloyd A. Hershey, Bnh 'ip A. Emery, and William D. Stanley

OPEN-FILE REPORT 71002

Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the

Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the

Colorado Division of Water Resourc es, Colorado State Engineer

Colorado District Water Resources Division

Denver, Colorado June 1971

Introduction. . . . . .

Methods and procedures.

Preliminary findings .•

Future studies.

References. .

CONTENTS

Appendix (VES and DES curves, 11 sheets).

Page

1

2

2

3

4

5

VES and DES curves, vicinity of Buena Vista, Colo. 6

VES curves, vicinity of Westcliffe, Colo . . 12

ILLUSTRATION

Plate I.--Resistivity sections, upper Arkansas River

Basin, Colo- · . . . . . . In pocket

i

RESISTIVITY SECTIONS, UPPER ARKANSAS

RIVER BASIN, COLORADO

By AdelA. R. Zohdy, Lloyd A. Hershey,

Philip A. Emery, and William D. Stanley

INTRODUCTION

A reconnaissance investigation of ground-water resources in the

upper Arkansas River basin from Pueblo to Leadville is being made

, by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southeastern

Colorado Water Conservancy District, and the Colorado Division of

Water Resources, Colorado State Engineer. As part of the investigation,

surface geophysical electrical resistivity surveys were made during

:the summer and fall of 1970 near Buena Vista and Westcliffe, Colo.

(pl. 1).

The resistivity surveys were made to verify a previous gravity

survey and to help locate areas where ground-water supplies might be

~eveloped. This report presents the results of the surveys in the

form of two resistivity sections.

1

The able assistance of personnel of the Colorado State Engineer,

and the friendly cooperation of residents in the area, who permitted

access to their land during the surveys is gratefully acknowledged.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Vertical electrical soundings (VES) and dipole electrical

soundings (DES) were made using the conventional Schlumberger and

equatorial electrode arrays (for a description of the field

procedure, see Bhattacharya and Patra, 1968; Keller and Frischknecht,

1966; Kunetz, 1966; Zohdy, 1969; Zohdy and others, 1969). The

sounding curves (Schlumberger or equatorial apparent resistivity,

p , p , versus half the distance between current electrodes, AB/2, s 8

or equatorial spacing, R) were plotted on log-log paper in the field.

Interpretation of the VES curves was made by curve-matching

procedures using albums of theoretical curves in conjunction with

the auxiliary point method and other graphical methods (Compagnie

Generale de Geophysique, 1963; Orellana and Mooney, 1966;

Rijkswaterstaat, 1969; Zohdy, 1965). The VES curves obtained in these

surveys are given in an appendix to this report.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

The interpretations of resistivity data shown on the sections

have not been checked by test drilling and therefore should only be

regarded as generally representative of subsurface conditions.

2

However, data derived from the surveys agrees with that from a

previous evaluation of the thickness of the valley-fill deposits

using the gravity method. Resistivity section A-A' (pl. 1), near

Buena Vista indicates the thickness of the valley fill to be as

much as 4,600 feet. Resistivity section B-B' (pl. 1), south of

Westcliffe indicates the thickness of the valley-fill is as much

as 6,700 feet. At both localities the resistivity data indicate

that the most permeable rock materials occur in the upper 500 to

1,000 feet of valley-fill deposits.

FUTURE STUDIES

The U.S. Geological Survey plans to drill two test holes 1,000

feet deep at locations along the lines of the sections to determine

the thickness, grain size, composition, and permeability of the

valley-fill deposits, and the chemical quality of water in the

deposits. After comparison of existing resistivity sections and

the results of the test drilling, additional resistivity surveys

can be made to better define the extent, thickness, and permeability

of basin alluvium in the upper Arkansas River basin.

3

REFERENCES

Bhattacharya, P. K., and Patra, H. P., 1968, Dir ec t current geoelectric

sounding, principles and interpretation: New York, Els evi er, 135 p.

Compa gnie Generale de Geophysique, 1963, Master curves for e l ec tri ca l

sounding (2d revised ed .): Le iden, European Assoc . Explor.

Geophysicists.

Keller, G. V., and Frischknecht, F. C., 1966, El ec trical methods in

geophysical prospecting : New York, Pergamon Press, 519 p.

Kunetz, Geza, 1966, Principles of dir ec t current r esistivity

prosp ecting: Berlin, Gebruder Borntraeger, 103 p.

Orellana, Ernesto, and Mooney, H. M., 1966, Master tables and curves for

vertical electrical sounding over layered structures: Madrid,

Interciencia, 150 p. and 66 tables.

Rijkswaterstaat, 1969, Standard graphs for r es istivity prospecting:

The Netherlands, European Assoc. Explor. Geophy sic i s ts.

Zohdy, A. A. R., 1965, The auxiliary point method of electrical sounding

interpretation, and its relationship to the Dar Zarrouk parameters:

Geophysics, v . 30, p. 644-660.

_______ 1969, The use of Schlumberger and equatorial soundings in ground wate1

investigations near El Paso, Texas: Geophysics, v. 34, p . 713-728.

Zohdy, A. A. R., Jackson, D. B., Mattick, R. E., and Pet e rson, D. 1.,

1969, Geophysical surveys for ground water at Whit e Sands Missile

Range, New Mexico: U.S. Geol . Survey open-fil e r eport, 31 p.,

1 table, 8 sheets, and VES curves, 44 sheets.

4

APPENDIX

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united states department of the interior … · rijkswaterstaat, 1969; zohdy, 1965). the ves curves...

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