Date of Award

12-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science - Geology

Department

Geology

First Advisor

Wesley Brown

Second Advisor

Kevin Stafford

Third Advisor

Melinda Faulkner

Fourth Advisor

Walter Trikosko

Abstract

combined geophysical and hydrological study was conducted in a sandy loam near the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. The study area contained three preinstalled piezometers which are located in the Sparta Sand of the Eocene Claiborne Group, a regressive tract of the Eocene sea. Electrical DC resistivity surveys were conducted across one fifty-six-meter-long traverse using AGI’s multi-electrode SuperSting R8 WIFI RES/IP/SP system, which allowed for rapid and reliable data collection. The resistivity line was surveyed using the dipole-dipole array configuration, which has been proven to produce high-quality horizontal resolution. Over the duration of fourteen days, a conductive solution composed of 88 ounces of NaCl combined with 24 liters of water were added into an infiltration pit daily and DC resistivity surveys were conducted every other day. DC resistivity data was processed and interpreted using AGI’s EarthImager 2D inversion software. The electrical resistivity data acquired was paired with a hydrogeological survey of the area in order to better understand the migration of a solute plume through the sandy loam. The hydrogeologic survey consisted numerical modeling values obtained from a fine ii grain analysis of three soil cores using the Bouyoucos hydrometer method. The data acquired provided useful information on the rate of infiltration as well as the migration pathway of any possible future contaminant spills that may occur in similar soils. The principal objective of the study was to track the flow pattern and rate at which a known conductive aqueous solution flows through sandy loam. This geophysical study alongside a parallel hydrologic study will improve tracking of solute plume through sandy loam and allow researchers to monitor any interaction with groundwater.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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