Integrated 1-D Resistivity and GIS Analysis for Groundwater Potential Mapping at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina (Nigeria)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/usci.2543.030Keywords:
Vertical electrical sounding (VES), Aquifer, Fractured zone, weathered zoneAbstract
Groundwater exploration is essential for a sustainable water supply in Katsina, northwestern Nigeria, where surface water is scarce and unreliable. This study developed a groundwater potential map for Umaru Musa Yar’adua University using Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) with the Schlumberger array. Twenty (20) VES stations were surveyed with a maximum current electrode spacing (AB/2) of 100 m and potential electrode spacing (MN/2) of 20 m. The data were processed in IPI2Win and integrated into ArcGIS for spatial analysis. Results revealed three to five subsurface layers with resistivity values ranging from 8.9–92,400 Ω·m and thicknesses up to 44.4 m. Productive aquiferous zones were mainly identified in saturated sandstone and lateritic formations. Aquifers occurred at depths between 10–96 m, with resistivity values of 28.9–950 Ω·m for saturated sandstone (VES 18) and 76.7–14,903 Ω·m for weathered basement (VES 10). The thickest aquiferous layer (44.4 m) was observed at VES 11 with resistivity values of 40–69,213 Ω·m, while shallow promising layers were detected at VES 2–4 (13–15 m depth, 593–12,989 Ω·m). Groundwater potential mapping categorized the study area into good, moderate, and poor zones, with the most favorable zones located along P1 (stations 2–5), P2 (station 6), and P3–P4 (stations 12, 16, 18, and 20). Conversely, stations near the ASSU Secretariat (e.g., S7–S8, S15) showed poor groundwater potential. The study demonstrates that combining VES interpretation with GIS enhances delineation of groundwater zones and provides a reliable basis for siting productive boreholes within the university community.
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