Groundwater Exploration Using the Vertical Electrical Sounding at Semi-Arid Region; West of Rezevi Khorasan, İran

Determination of groundwater potential in the western part of Rezevi Khorasan (Mashhad city), located in the arid and semi-arid region of Iran, has a critical importance in terms of water resources management and sustainable development. The majority of the study area is located on Quaternary alluvium. Vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements were taken at 51 locations using Schlumberger configuration to determine the hydrogeological characteristics of the region. The evaluation of the VES curves revealed that the area is characterised by four layers. The resistivity values of the first layer, which has a wide resistivity range, vary between (64.3 and 720 Ω m). The resistivity values of the second layer vary between (55.9 and 549 Ω m), the resistivity range of the third layer (50 to 560 Ω m) and the fourth layer (12.9 to 626 Ω m). Dar- Zarrouk parameters were calculated using the resistivity and thickness parameters. Evaluation of the result indicates that the alluvium units that can provide groundwater. The permeability is high in sandy and gravelly units.