Hydrogeology/Geophysical Field Site
With funds from two National Science Foundation grants, Laurie Brown
and I have constructed a field site where students can be exposed to the
techniques commonly used in hydrogeologic and geophysical field research.
The intent of this dedicated field site is to give students the opportunity
to gain practical experience in hydrogeological and geophysical field methods.
These methods include but are not limited to: a) drilling and monitoring
well installation techniques; b) groundwater sampling and monitoring practices;
c) applying surface and downhole geophysical techniques to interpret subsurface
geology and investigate possible contaminant threats; d) aquifer testing;
and, e) hydrochemical testing.
The field site consists of two components: a well field and a geophysical
test site. The well field consists of one, four-inch pumping well and six,
two-inch observation wells. This site will be used to teach students how
to perform aquifer tests (pumping tests), tracer tests, slug tests, step
tests and to demonstrate water quality sampling protocols, among other things.
These are all fundamental skills needed to conduct research in hydrogeology.
The geophysical test site consists of a series of test pits and trenches
where objects of various sizes and shapes are buried at known locations.
These objects include drums, pipes, cables, pvc pipes and miscellaneous
debris. Students will use a variety of surface geophysical techniques to
try and decipher the depth, shape and type of object buried in each test
pit.
Initial plans are to use the field site as an outdoor laboratory for
existing courses and as a site for basic research. The field laboratory
will provide support for five existing upper level courses in the Department
of Geosciences including General Geophysics, Environmental Geophysics, Applied
Environmental Geology, Hydrogeology, and Advanced Hydrogeology. Eventually
we would like to create a summer hydrogeology field course open to undergraduates,
graduate students and professionals. The goal will be to combine hands-on
experience with state-of-the-art techniques for hydrologic systems evaluation.
In the future, at least one well will also be drilled
into bedrock so that downhole geophysical and hydrologic testing equipment
can be used to detect and characterize fluid flow and transport through
fractured bedrock.