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Application of ground-penetrating radar for identification of groundwater resources in a coastal terrain

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Abstract

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) investigations were carried out in a costal terrain for locating freshwater pockets at Vizag Steel Plant (VSP), Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The entire area is underlain by recent alluvial which consists of sand, clay, and silt with basement as Kondalitic rock formation. GPR is a surface geophysical method that depends on the emission, transmission, reflection, and reception of electromagnetic pulses and can produce continuous high-resolution profiles of the subsurface rapidly and efficiently at any desired location. The interpretation of radar records requires little or no processing. Based on GPR investigations, four locations were recommended for drilling of bore well at VSP, Vishakapatnam. The drilled bore well was found to yield good water to meet the demand of VSP, Vishakapatnam. Hydrochemical study reveals that the total dissolved solids (TDS) and chloride concentration range from 189 to 3,398 and 5 to 1,610 mg/l. The eastern and northeastern parts of the study area have elevated concentration of TDS and chloride, indicating intrusion of saline water. TDS concentration of drilled bore well was found to range from 200 to 700 mg/l. The observed yield of drilled bore wells ranges from 1,300 to 4,900 lph.

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Acknowledgments

Authors express their thanks to Director, NGRI, Hyderabad for his continuous support for the research activity. Authors are also grateful to the staff of Water Management Department, VSP, Vishakapatnam for providing necessary support throughout investigations. Authors are also thankful to honorable reviewers for giving their valuable suggestions and comments for the improvement of the scientific content of the manuscript. Authors are thankful to the Editor of the journal for his kind support and encouragement.

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  1. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India

    Ratnakar Dhakate, B. Amarender, V. Satish Kumar, S. Sankaran & V. V. S. Gurunadha Rao

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  1. Ratnakar Dhakate
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  2. B. Amarender
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  3. V. Satish Kumar
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  4. S. Sankaran
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  5. V. V. S. Gurunadha Rao
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Correspondence to Ratnakar Dhakate.

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Dhakate, R., Amarender, B., Kumar, V.S. et al. Application of ground-penetrating radar for identification of groundwater resources in a coastal terrain. Arab J Geosci 8, 4703–4715 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1567-8

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