Application of Electromagnetic Method in the Detection of Buried Karst Groundwater in the North-South Archaic Uplift, Ningxia, China

Abstract The North-South Archaic Uplift Karst Area, situated in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, exemplifies the presence of underground karst formations in northern China. This work utilizes the regional hydrogeological survey to carry out geophysical investigations. The objective is to examine the resistivity qualities of layers and formations in order to investigate the attributes of subterranean karst water. The results indicate the existence of karst groundwater within the carbonate fault zone, covered by Quaternary loess with a high resistance and Neogene mudstone with a low resistance. The resistivity of the fault zone is relatively lower compared to the surrounding carbonate rock. The core principle of this rule can be concisely stated as “detect regions of high resistance within regions of low resistance, and detect regions of low resistance within regions of high resistance.” The electrical characteristics of the subterranean karst formation greatly aid in identifying ideal locations for investigating karst groundwater.