The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria
Crystalline basement aquifers are important drinking water sources in Nigeria and several sub-Saharan African countries. However, an understanding of their local flow and transport processes and pathways is missing due to limited research. The implication has been their suboptimal management, with f...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/433 |
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| author | Kennedy O. Doro Christianah O. Adegboyega Ahzegbobor P. Aizebeokhai Michael A. Oladunjoye |
| author_facet | Kennedy O. Doro Christianah O. Adegboyega Ahzegbobor P. Aizebeokhai Michael A. Oladunjoye |
| author_sort | Kennedy O. Doro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Crystalline basement aquifers are important drinking water sources in Nigeria and several sub-Saharan African countries. However, an understanding of their local flow and transport processes and pathways is missing due to limited research. The implication has been their suboptimal management, with frequently reported dry wells and groundwater contaminations. To address this challenge, the Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site was established in 2019 as the first field-scale hydrogeological research laboratory in Nigeria to advance understanding of the geologic, hydraulic, and hydrogeochemical variabilities within crystalline basement aquifers. The over 22,500 m<sup>2</sup> research site with a 50 m × 50 m area used for active hydraulic testing is located within the University of Ibadan campus and is instrumented with four initial test wells extending through the weathered and fractured zones to a depth of 30 m each. Preliminary hydrogeological and geophysical studies focused on obtaining a conceptual model and knowledge of hydraulic heterogeneities to aid in detailed experimental and numerical studies. A combination of lithological logs and electrical resistivity revealed areas with subvertical fractures as low-resistivity zones (<200 Ωm), and a pumping test revealed a hydraulic conductivity range of 1.9 × 10<sup>−10</sup> to 7.2 × 10<sup>−6</sup> m/s. The drawdown–time curve shows flow from single-plane vertical fractures. The results of this study will serve as a basis for further targeted field and numerical studies for the investigation of variability in groundwater flow in complex crystalline basement aquifers. The presented field site is posed to support the adaptation and development of field methods for studying local heterogeneities within these aquifers in Nigeria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:20:02Z |
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| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:20:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-922e283226dc4440bb95fc209499db692023-11-16T18:22:34ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-01-0115343310.3390/w15030433The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern NigeriaKennedy O. Doro0Christianah O. Adegboyega1Ahzegbobor P. Aizebeokhai2Michael A. Oladunjoye3Department of Environmental Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USADepartment of Geology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200132, NigeriaDepartment of Physics, Covenant University, Ota 231119, NigeriaDepartment of Geology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200132, NigeriaCrystalline basement aquifers are important drinking water sources in Nigeria and several sub-Saharan African countries. However, an understanding of their local flow and transport processes and pathways is missing due to limited research. The implication has been their suboptimal management, with frequently reported dry wells and groundwater contaminations. To address this challenge, the Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site was established in 2019 as the first field-scale hydrogeological research laboratory in Nigeria to advance understanding of the geologic, hydraulic, and hydrogeochemical variabilities within crystalline basement aquifers. The over 22,500 m<sup>2</sup> research site with a 50 m × 50 m area used for active hydraulic testing is located within the University of Ibadan campus and is instrumented with four initial test wells extending through the weathered and fractured zones to a depth of 30 m each. Preliminary hydrogeological and geophysical studies focused on obtaining a conceptual model and knowledge of hydraulic heterogeneities to aid in detailed experimental and numerical studies. A combination of lithological logs and electrical resistivity revealed areas with subvertical fractures as low-resistivity zones (<200 Ωm), and a pumping test revealed a hydraulic conductivity range of 1.9 × 10<sup>−10</sup> to 7.2 × 10<sup>−6</sup> m/s. The drawdown–time curve shows flow from single-plane vertical fractures. The results of this study will serve as a basis for further targeted field and numerical studies for the investigation of variability in groundwater flow in complex crystalline basement aquifers. The presented field site is posed to support the adaptation and development of field methods for studying local heterogeneities within these aquifers in Nigeria.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/433crystalline basement aquifersgroundwatergeophysicssouthwestern Nigeria |
| spellingShingle | Kennedy O. Doro Christianah O. Adegboyega Ahzegbobor P. Aizebeokhai Michael A. Oladunjoye The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria Water crystalline basement aquifers groundwater geophysics southwestern Nigeria |
| title | The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria |
| title_full | The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria |
| title_fullStr | The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria |
| title_short | The Ibadan Hydrogeophysics Research Site (IHRS)—An Observatory for Studying Hydrological Heterogeneities in A Crystalline Basement Aquifer in Southwestern Nigeria |
| title_sort | ibadan hydrogeophysics research site ihrs an observatory for studying hydrological heterogeneities in a crystalline basement aquifer in southwestern nigeria |
| topic | crystalline basement aquifers groundwater geophysics southwestern Nigeria |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/3/433 |
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