Waterborne gradient self-potential, temperature, and conductivity logging of Lake Travis, Texas, near the Bee Creek Fault, March–April 2020
Scott Ikard, Hydrologist - USGS
Scott’s talk will focus on a geophysical pilot study of surface and groundwater exchanges between Lake Travis, Austin Texas, and the lower and middle zones of the Cretaceous Trinity aquifer. This study, performed in collaboration with Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation district, demonstrates the use of geophysical logging in surface-water bodies to quickly locate areas of enhanced hydrologic exchange between the surface-water and hydraulically connected aquifers. Continuous 31-kilometer long profiles of waterborne gradient self-potential, surface-water temperature, and surface-water conductivity at variable depths provide meaningful insight into unseen locations of hydrologic exchange between Lake Travis and the Trinity aquifer, which are consistent with the mapped hydrogeology and structural features along the profiles that influence hydrologic exchange.
Scott Ikard, USGS
Biography
Scott is a licensed Professional Engineer and Hydrologist in the Geophysics and Subsurface Analysis unit of the United States Geological Survey's Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, in Austin, Texas. He holds a Ph.D. in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.E. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and a B.S. in Geology from James Madison University. Scott serves as Project Chief on applied research studies in geophysics and hydrogeology that broadly encompass development of research proposals, geophysical and hydrologic survey planning, instrumentation and data acquisition, and data processing and interpretation of airborne, waterborne, surface, and borehole hydrogeophysical data. His research interests include delineation and characterization of aquifer systems, forward and inverse geophysical and groundwater flow modeling, geophysical assessments of local and regional surface-water and ground water exchange patterns, and development of new geophysical surveying and processing approaches to hydrologic investigations.