Integrated Geoelectrical and Geological Investigation of a Quaternary Paleo-Depositional Environment in the Haripur Basin, Northern Pakistan: Implications for Groundwater System

Abstract

The deposition in Haripur basin not only provides a contemporary insight into old fluvial depositional sequences of the Himalayan foreland but also sheds light on the important continental depositions in a monsoon controlled foreland system. The present study emphasizes the evaluation of the paleo-depositional architecture for sustainable groundwater availability by utilizing a total of four field-based geological observations, eleven boreholes, and fifty-nine vertical electrical sounding (VES) datasets. The acquired surface geological data well correlate with resistivity and borehole data. The derived results of the lithostratigraphic cross-sections and spatial distribution maps reveal three-sided closure depositional. These depositional directions indicate thick successions of coarser sediments near the foothills and interbedded mixture of coarser and finer sediments toward the central and southern parts of the basin. The former conditions provide maximum groundwater yielding capacity for sustainable groundwater supply in the north-eastern and north-western parts of the basin. On the contrary, in the central and southern parts of the basin, the groundwater yielding capacities have drastically decreased due to deposition of finer sediments.

Groundwater Potential Zones Assessment Using Geospatial Models in Semi-Arid Areas of South Africa

“…The analysis of FR for the relationship between groundwater borehole and geology percent shows that geology factor subclass Quaternary sediment has the highest FR value of 16.38 among all factor's subclasses, showing a stronger correlation with groundwater potentiality [71]. This finding corroborates the result of [83], who reported that Quaternary sediment plays a vital role in groundwater storage by providing maximum groundwater-yielding capacity for sustainable groundwater supply. This subclass constitutes about 15% of the boreholes in the study area.…”