Hydrogeophysical investigation of Logan, MT using electrical techniques and diving wave refraction tomography

Abstract:

Logan, Montana USA is located on the Gallatin river, one of the three rivers forming the headwaters of the Missouri river. Hydrogeological studies by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology have assumed that the location at Logan is a pinch-point for the local Gallatin watershed. Shallow groundwater is expected to discharge into the Gallatin river because depth to bedrock near the river is shallow (~5 meters). Groundwater monitoring wells indicate dry Tertiary sediments overlying bedrock, suggesting surface and groundwater systems are disconnected. We deployed shallow seismic refraction, electrical resistivity, spontaneous potential, and electromagnetic surveys to investigate the groundwater system in the study area. Geophysical measurements were preferentially obtained near the Gallatin river and close to shallow monitoring wells. Hand samples of Mississippian aged rocks of the Madison group were collected from local outcrops to help correlate geophysical results with properties of the carbonate rich bedrock. Preliminary interpretations of geophysical data confirm the shallow bedrock and dry sediments encountered in nearby wells. These results suggest that the pinch-point is located upstream or groundwater follows a network of preferential flow paths through limestone bedrock within the study area.