Self-potential dataset for mapping groundwater flow patterns in the Chaîne des Puys (Auvergne, France)

Abstract

The present Self-Potential (SP) dataset acquired in the Chaîne des Puys is the result of four decades of measurements carried out by master's students, PhD students, researchers, and engineering offices under the auspices of the Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans (LMV) and the Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand (OPGC). Acquired in the 1980s by Maurice Aubert and his collaborators (e.g. [1–3]), this Self-Potential dataset was completed as part of the CAPRICE project focused on the hydrosystem of the Chaîne des Puys. The methodology and equipment used for data acquisition has remained unchanged since the first measurement in 1987. As a result, this dataset compiles more than 20,000 SP measurements and covers an area of almost 200 km².The SP data are intended to serve as the basis for geological models, coupled with geological and other geophysical data, according to the method described in Aubert and Atangana, 1996. After interpolation, SP data can be used to identify preferential groundwater flow paths and to delineate the surface of hydrogeological watersheds. As indicated in the literature, they also be used to identify possible recharge zones or areas of permeability contrast.

Keywords

• Hydrogeophysics
• Volcanic aquifers
• CAPRICE project
• Drinking water supply
• Geophysical survey