Self-potential prospecting in the study of water movements

Abstract In this paper we present the results of a self-potential survey carried out in a coastal area of southern Italy where an upward water flow from an aquifer was manifested by the presence of some springs. The observed anomalies, of electrokinetic origin, have been interpreted in terms of an underground water movement on the basis of a comparison with theoretical and experimental anomalies generated by simple source geometries. The results of the survey indicated a great complexity in the hydrogeology of the area. In particular, the comparison between the self-potential data and the findings of a geoelectric survey has shown that the upward flow can be related to some basement discontinuities or lithologie boundaries. Besides it was found that the water-rising zones were well separated and were not always associated with the location of the springs.