Search

Introduction Noninvasive techniques such as EM induction are becoming increasingly popular because they can be used to rapidly and cost-effectively evaluate spatial variability in apparent electrical conductivity ([EC.sub.a]) over large [...]

Shallow seismic data from Sevenmile Basin, a large ephemeral lake (playa) basin in the Texas Panhandle, reveal that subsidence has been an important agent in basin formation. Several hypotheses exist for the origin of thousands of playa basins on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, including eolian deflation, evaporite or carbonate dissolution and subsidence, piping, and animal activity. Sevenmile Basin is 5.5 X 3.6 km across and 14 m deep and contains 20 m of lacustrine and eolian sediments that interfinger with the Quaternary Blackwater Draw Formation. Below these sediments is the upper Tertiary Ogallala Formation, which overlies Permian or Triassic bedrock. Seismic reflection and refraction data were collected from the unlithified and variably saturated clastic sequence beneath Sevenmile Basin to investigate the geological history and hydrogeological framework of playa basins, which recharge the regionally important Ogallala aquifer. Three-layer velocity models provide good solutions for reversed refraction data. Near-surface p-wave velocities (layer 1) range from 349 to 505 m/s, layer 2 velocities range from 806 to 851 m/s, and layer 3 velocities range from 2,037 to 2,161 m/s. Shallow test holes and drillers' logs suggest that layer 1 is composed of playa and upper Blackwater Draw Formation deposits, layer 2 consists of lower Blackwater Draw Formation and upper Ogallala Formation deposits, and layer 3 represents a competent and partly saturated zone near the top of the Ogallala aquifer. Reflection sections show a middle Ogallala reflector, a reflector at the top of Permian or Triassic bedrock, and internal bedrock reflectors that indicate a structural low beneath Sevenmile Basin. Increasing relief with age, from 14 m at the surface to 70 m on the middle Ogallala reflector to 110 m at the base of the Ogallala, is interpreted as evidence of subsidence of underlying Permian evaporite-bearing strata before or during Ogallala deposition. Ogallala and Blackwater Draw Formation thicknesses greater than bedrock relief suggest that subsidence continued during Ogallala deposition and may continue to the present. Virtually all playa basins on the Southern High Plains are underlain by Permian evaporite-bearing strata; some basins have been affected by dissolution-induced subsidence. Shallow seismic methods are an ideal approach to determine the relative importance of subsidence in basin formation.

We conducted a high-resolution airborne geophysical survey at the eastern margin of the basin-and-range province of the southwestern U.S. to examine the hydrostratigraphy of the Hueco Bolson and identify possible ground-water resources in this arid area. The survey, flown in 2001 over a 372-km2 area east of El Paso, Texas, acquired time-domain electromagnetic induction (TDEM) and magnetic field data. These data were used to map conductivity trends to depths of at least 200 m that are related to lateral and vertical changes in lithology, water content, water chemistry (EM data), basin geometry, and the location of intrabasinal faults (magnetic data). Pre-survey, ground-based TDEM soundings established the achievable exploration depths and demonstrated that the relatively deep groundwater (80 to 120 m) significantly influenced the transient signal and was within the exploration depth of the airborne system. Airborne EM and magnetic field data identified intrabasinal faults that influence basin-fill deposition. Conductivity-depth slices constructed from airborne TDEM data allowed lateral variations in water quality and lithology to be mapped that helped predict ground-water resource quality within these fault-bounded basins filled with alluvial, lacustrine and eolian sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an example from an oil field in the semiarid Red River basin in Texas, we show that electromagnetic (EM) methods are useful in locating salinized soil and water, determining salinization extent, identifying likely salinity sources, and estimating the total mass of chloride within a saline-water plume. Each of these aspects assists in managing salinization and assessing its impact. We used ground EM instruments to establish salinization boundaries and determine the range of electrical conductivity, airborne measurements to locate potential sources and quantify the lateral extent and intensity of salinization, and borehole measurements and time domain EM soundings to determine salinization depth and relate ground conductivity to chloride content. We estimated infiltration volume and total chloride mass in the plume from EM data and an empirical, site-specific chloride:conductivity ratio established from well data. Because the measured conductivity of water strongly correlates with total dissolved solids concentration, mass estimation could be extended to any ionic constituent that covaries linearly with total dissolved solids concentration. EM methods owe their success to the large increase in electrical conductivity that occurs where highly conductive, saline water infiltrates geologic materials having naturally low conductivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic tests were conducted along the southeastern Texas coast to (1) investigate the usefulness of land-based shallow seismic reflection profiling, (2) examine the influence of environment on data quality, (3) evaluate compressional-wave sources for shallow profiling of unconsolidated sediments, and (4) determine the exploration depth rangeof shallow seismic reflection methods. Tests in three environments, including unvegetated beach, densely vegetated marsh, and densely vegetated floodplain, show that near-surface sediment characteristics strongly influence data quality. A modified soil probe hammer, which isa low-energy, broad-frequency-range seismic source, was used for theshort reflection profiles at each site. Highest quality data were collected at the beach, where reflections were recorded as shallow as 7m and as deep as 200 m. At the marsh and floodplain sites, surface wave velocities were higher, peak frequencies were lower, and exploration depths were limited. Despite similar target depths and near-surface water tables at each site, optimum acquisition parameters varied. Effects of extraneous noise associated with ambient conditions (wind,breaking waves, road traffic) were minimized with filters. Shallow sseismic reflection methods can be applied to a variety of coastal geological and environmental problems including high-resolution studies of Quaternary strata, location of active near-surface faults, and delineation of buried archeological sites. On-land seismic surveys can also augment borehole data, guide borehole placement, and extend offshore surveys across the shoreline and onto the coastal plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]