Application of electromagnetic methods to the investigation of seawater intrusion into coastal aquifer - A case study in the Hasunuma area, Chiba Prefecture, Japan

The estimation of seawater intrusion into deep aquifers has been becoming an important subject in terms of site characterization for geological disposal of radioactive waste. Conventional direct-current resistivity methods have been used for ground water explorations and recently have been applied to environmental problems. However, electromagnetic methods are more practical and useful for such a deep investigation. We consider audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) and surface-to-borehole electromagnetic (EM) tomography methods as promising tools for the investigation of deep aquifer. These methods were tested in the Hasunuma area, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Although the study area is in an urban area, high-quality AMT data were acquired, which was mainly accomplished by night-time data recording and remote-reference data processing. One-dimensional inversion results of the AMT data revealed two extremely conductive zones, which is consistent with the electrical conductivity profile of pore water in core samples. It can be interpreted as the seawater intrusions into both zones. However, the chemical analysis of the groundwater sampled in the deep zone suggests that this groundwater must be fossil seawater that had been confined during sedimentation processes. In addition, the permeability coefficient of the deep layer is very low. Thus the deep conductive zone corresponds to the fossil seawater regarded as being difficult to flow.