Mapping the water table at the Cheongju-Gadeok site of the Korea National Groundwater Monitoring Network using multiple geophysical methods

The most effective way to distinguish subsurface interfaces that produce various geophysical responses is through the integration of multiple geophysical methods, with each method detecting both a complementary and unique set of distinct physical properties relating to the subsurface. In this study, shallow seismic reflection (SSR) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted at the Cheongju-Gadeok site of the Korea National Groundwater Monitoring Network to map the water table, which was measured at 12 m depth during the geophysical surveys. The water table proved to be a good target reflector in both datasets, as the abrupt transition from the overlying unsaturated weathered rock to the underlying saturated weathered rock yielded large acoustic impedance and dielectric constant contrasts. The two datasets were depth converted and integrated into a single section, with the SSR and GPR surveys conducted to ensure subsurface imaging at approximately the same wavelength. The GPR data provided detailed information on the upper ~15 m of the section, whereas the SSR data imaged structures at depths of 10-45 m. The integrated section thus captured the full depth coverage of the sandy clay, water table, weathered rock, soft rock, and hard rock structures, which correlated well with local drillcore and water table observations. Incorporation of these two geophysical datasets yielded a synthetic section that resembled a simplified aquifer model, with the best-fitting seismic velocity, dielectric constant, and porosity of the saturated weathered layer being $v_{seismic}=1000m/s$, ${\varepsilon}_r=16$, and ${\phi}=0.32$, respectively.