In hard rock areas, conventional apparent resistivity measurement using Schlumberger resistivity sounding fails to detect thin conducting structures (2-D and 3-D fractures filled with groundwater and mineral aggregate) concealed at a large depth. In the present study, an attempt is made to way-out the detection problem of deep seated thin conducting layer. It is proposed to study the apparent conductance simultaneously with resistivity sounding to detect such conductive zones qualitatively. Apparent conductance is defined as the magnitude of current flowing in the subsurface for a unit applied voltage through current electrodes. Even though such measurement is of qualitative importance, it gives extremely valuable information for the presence of conductive zones at depth in challenging hard rock terrain. It has been observed that apparent conductance increases significantly when groundwater bearing fractures and conductive bodies are encountered in the subsurface. Field data from different locations are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of such measurement. The measurement assists to the conventional resistivity sounding for successful prediction of groundwater zones at large depth in different hard rock areas and is of enormous importance. The approach is also used for possible solution of suppression problem in the DC resistivity sounding when intermediate layer is not reflected in the resistivity sounding curve. Finally, the approach can be used together with resistivity sounding to solve many practical problems.

The resolution of self-potential anomalies due to closely spaced multiple sheet-like bodies by the potential difference and potential gradient is studied in this paper. Self-potential anomalies due to several synthetic models were inverted through a very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) global optimization. Increase in depth to the top, polarization constant and depth extent of the body decreases resolution at a particular target separation. It has been observed that depth to the top and separation between two targets play an important role in the resolution. Vertical sheets at equal depth can be resolved in the potential difference measurement only if they are separated by at least four times their depth, while they can be resolved in the gradient method, if they are separated by twice the depth. Resolution using potential difference becomes more difficult for dipping sheets, although the potential gradient method can resolve them efficiently. Efficacy of potential gradient data in the inversion is demonstrated in the study using synthetic data as well as field measurement from South Purulia Shear Zone related with uranium investigation.