Application of GIS and GPS Technologies in Gravimetrical and Hydrogeological Studies of the Santa Catarina Basin, NE Mexico

摘要

The Santa Catarina Basin in the Huasteca Canyon is an important part of the groundwater resources for the city of Monterrey, Mexico. The main aquifer of this area consists of Lower Cretaceous limestone Formations Aurora and Cupido. The goal of geological-geophysical investigation here was to study the shallow subsurface structure, hydrogeological modeling and mapping. This paper is focused on application of a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing control (GPS) as supporting technologies during gravity works. Modern gravimeters have a high precision of measurement such as 1-5 microgalls, so the gravimetrical study requires an adequate precision of site positioning. We used the Autograv Scintrex "CG-3" gravimeter with a reading resolution of 0.005 mGal so the localization of gravity stations and determination of their elevation above the sea level were made using GPS Total Station which has an accuracy of about ± 1 cm. The GPS survey was conducted as real time kinematics (RTK) surveys. Besides, the data collection and visualization of results of interpretation have to be digital sated. The GIS database for mis project was built with ArcGIS 8.1 and finally, the data were prepared for presentation in Arcview 3.2. Software such as Surfer, AutoCAD, and standard Windows applications also were used for computer processing and analysis. As a result, the geological-geophysical model of the near subsurface section was constructed and their hydrogeological interpretation was made. The gravimetrical data was included to the digital representation of aquifer potential and used in hydrogeological modeling.