Borehole geophysics for 

characterizing rock, fracture, and 

fluid properties

USEPA-USGS Fractured Rock Workshop

EPA Region 2

14 January 2014

John Williams, USGS
 Caliper

 Gamma

 Single-point resistance 

 Fluid resistivity

 Temperature

BASIC GEOPHYSICAL LOGGING

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 2

O

p

e

n

Pehme and others (2010) 

Open hole Lined hole

Temperature, in degrees C

12 12.5 13 12 12.5 13

175

200

275

225

250

M asl
VIDEO CAMERA

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 3

Video camera

 Fish-eye and side-wall views of borehole wall and conditions

248ftZone.mp4
 Ultrasound pulse-echo system

 Acoustic amplitude and transit time

 Oriented 360 degree acoustic image 

of borehole wall

 Acoustic reflectivity related to

lithology, bedding, foliation, and 

fractures

 Water- or light mud-filled holes

ACOUSTIC TELEVIEWER

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 4

N E S W N
 CCD camera with conical or 

hyperbolic reflector

 Oriented 360 degree optical 

image of borehole wall

 Direct viewing of lithology, 

bedding, foliation, and fractures 

 Water- or air-filled holes

 Less affected by water clarity 

than fisheye

OPTICAL TELEVIEWER

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 5

N E S W N
3-D wrapped image Unwrapped image

N

W

E

Planar structure

(south dipping)

Amplitude

N E S W N

Dipo = tan -1 amplitude

diameter

Strike = (175 - 90)o = 85o

N E S W N

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 6

Borehole-Wall Image Analysis
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties

Gamma, Image, and Core Logging

7

ATV OTV

BERTIE FLOW 

ZONE

Cayuga County Superfund Site

• 7-mile long VOC plume in gently 

dipping carbonate bedrock

• Defined the bedrock stratigraphic

framework

•Critical to understanding flow and 

transport
Cayuga County Superfund Site

E

L

E

VATIO

N, IN

F

E

E

T

700

500

0 2000 FT

Oxbow

N S

Source

•Deep VOC transport to the south along solution 

zone at top of Bertie

•Faults recognized by repeated sections on gamma 

logs

•VOC plume spreads vertically and laterally when it 

hit the faults

Faults

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 8
Detected VOCs 

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 9

Shenandoah Road Superfund Site

•VOC source on fractured Precambrian gneiss

Southeast dipping fractures in 

bedrock outcrop near source 

VOC 

Source 
Detected VOCs 

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 10

Shenandoah Road Superfund Site

•VOC source on fractured Precambrian gneiss 

Borehole-wall image of 

southeast dipping fractured zone 

Near-Source Corehole

VOC 

Source 
Foliation

Fractures

Transmssive

fractures

Detected VOCs 

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 11

Shenandoah Road Superfund Site

• Bedrock structure consistent with VOC 

detections in domestic wells and 

monitoring wells

Stereo plots of bedrock structure 

orientation in near-source holes

VOC 

Source 
 Many wells are open to multiple flow zones that have differing hydraulic head

 Vertical flow occurs from zones of higher hydraulic head to zones of lower 

hydraulic head under ambient conditions

 Flow and fluid-property logs under ambient and pumped conditions to

charaterize flow-zone transmissivity and hydraulic head

Flow Logging 

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 12

Ambient Pumped
 Spinner flowmeter

 Stationary and trolling measurements

 Measurement range 5 to 5000 gal/min

 Heat-pulse flowmeter

 Stationary measurements

 Tool with diverter 0.005 to 1.5 gal/min

 Tool without diverter 0.5 to 5 gal/min

 Electromagnetic flowmeter

 Stationary and trolling measurements

 Tool with diverter 0.05 to 15 gal/min 

 Higher flows with underfit or no diverter

 Fluid resistivity and temperature sensors

Flowmeters 

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 13
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 14

Upward Flow Downward Flow 
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 15

Test hole for Discrete-Zone Monitoring Well

Cayuga County Superfund Site
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid 

properties 16

Downward 

and Upward 

(Convergent) 

Flow 
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties

Test Hole for Discrete-Zone Monitoring Well

Shenandoah Road Superfund Site

730 

mg/L

8.5 

mg/L

17
Nearby well 

pumping

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 18

Test Hole for Discrete-Zone Monitoring Well

NAWC Research Site
Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 19

Watervliet Arsenal

VOCs in metamorphosed shale

81 82 65 34 83 84 71 85 59 86

S N

0.5 500 FT2

/D 0 100 FT

Flow-zone 

Transmissivity

D

e

pth, in

F

e

et
Flo

w, in

G

allo

n

s

P

e

r

Min

u

t

e

Elapsed Time, in Minutes

65 34 71 59

Injection (4 gal/min)

Flowmeter measurements

CROSS-HOLE TRANSIENT TESTS

Injection into 59 

Flowmeter in 65

S N

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 20
81 82 65 34 83 84 71 85 59 86

S N

0 100 FT

Subparallel north-dipping

fracture flow zones

D

e

pth, in

F

e

et

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 21

Fracture Flow Zone Connection
81 82 65 34 83 84 71 85 59 86

S N

D

e

pth, in

F

e

et

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 22

PCE from Core and Discrete Interval Sampling

0 100 FT
81 82 65 34 83 84 71 85 59 86

S N

PCE mass between

fracture flow zones

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 23

PCE from Core and Discrete Interval Sampling

0 100 FT
71 74

Borehole geophysics for characterizing rock, fracture, and fluid properties 24

Potassium Permanganate Injection

75 65 34 59