Geoelectrical Response of a Hyporheic Zone within a Fractured Sedimentary Bedrock Riverbed

Abstract:

Fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifers represent an important source of water for many communities around the world. Although the effective porosities of these aquifers are extremely low relative to their unconsolidated counterparts, the existence of dense networks of interconnected fractures, dissolution-enhanced conduits or karst features can result in productive, yet heterogeneous and anisotropic, flow systems. Fluid-filled fractures remain connected to the porous matrix through advective-diffusive processes. This dual porosity concept is routinely applied to groundwater resource and contaminant transport studies; however, they have only recently been examined in shallow hyporheic environments, where groundwater and surface water influence one another through water and solute exchange across a streambed. Needless to say, there remains a gap in our conceptual understanding of hyporheic zones along rivers where water flowing through high-permeability fracture networks variably interacts with porewater residing in the low-permeability matrix. It is hypothesized that bedrock rivers will possess some measure of a hyporheic zone, albeit one that is governed by a vertical/horizontal fracture network but remains connected to the porous matrix. Hydrogeophysical methods provide a non-invasive means of assessing the scale and variability of critical zone dynamics. Here, we focus on the capacity of surface electrical resistivity for the detection and monitoring of a seasonally variable hyporheic zone at a field station located along the Eramosa River near Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Unlike conventional hydrogeological methods which potentially bias conduction in the fractures, surface resistivity is sensitive to the bulk electrical conductivity of the formation, making it more suited for detection of matrix conditions. Electrical resistivity data was collected along two 50 m profiles along a pool-riffle sequence on a daily to weekly interval from July 2014 to July 2015 and included a complete freeze-thaw cycle of the river. Continuous surface water and groundwater temperature, pressure and specific conductance was collected to support geophysical interpretations.