الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The integrated use of remote sensing imagery and geophysical field surveys has been applied to map the groundwater potentiality and explore the hydrogeological framework of the old alluvial floodplain of the Nile Valley west of Qena, Egypt, where the groundwater is considered as the main source of fresh water. Usually, ground gradient, faults, drainage patterns, watersheds, rainfall, lithology, and soil types are the main factors believed to affect the groundwater recharge and storage from the infiltration of current and paleo-runoff. Therefore, different remote sensing data (SRTM DEM, Landsat-8, ALOS/PALSAR-1, Sentinel-1, and TRMM) were processed as well as auxiliary maps (geological and soil maps) were used to identify and map these factors and prepare thematic maps of their different influences on the groundwater recharge. These thematic maps were overlaid and integrated using weights in a GIS model to generate the groundwater potentiality, which has been categorized into five zones of different recharge capability. Moreover, the aeromagnetic data have been used to map the deep-seated structures and estimate the depth to basement rocks that probably affect the groundwater occurrence. In addition, the vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements were applied and calibrated with the available borehole data to delineate the subsurface geological and hydrogeological setting. The results show that the southwest of Nag’ Hammadi-El-Ghoneimia stretch has very good recharge and storage potentiality and is characterized by the presence of two groundwater-bearing zones. The shallow groundwater aquifer occurs at a depth of 30 m with a saturation thickness more than 43 m. There are NW-SE faults cross the study area and play as recharge conduits connecting the shallow aquifer with the deeper ones. |