Electrical imaging and 3D modeling of a discontinuous aquifer: Insights from Toumbakro, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

A geophysical survey using electrical imaging in the Wenner–Schlumberger configuration was carried out in a crystalline basement region in central Côte d’Ivoire to improve knowledge of the aquifers in this area affected by recurrent water stress. The 2D resistivity sections, corroborated by petrographic field observations and drilling data, led to the development a 3D conceptual model of the aquifers in the study area. This model distinguishes three main lithological units: a resistant surface cover consisting of a lateritic cuirass, a conductive alteritic layer, and, at the base, a more or less fractured crystalline basement. From a structural point of view, several fracture networks have been identified, with predominantly NW–SE, NNW–SSE, and N–S orientations, constituting potential groundwater circulation zones.