The Sagole hot spring is located in the northern Limpopo Province of South Africa. Investigations were carried out in order to investigate the groundwater aquifer and water chemistry. Results were envisaged to the understanding of the geothermal potential of the area. Regional scale airborne magnetic data and geology were used for identifying structures and lithological boundaries that are associated with thermal groundwater aquifers.

A fault system may form preferential flow paths for groundwater along fault planes. In an industrial and mining environment, such geological structures pose a geohydrological challenge when delineating and managing groundwater pollution. A geophysical investigation, employing electric resistivity tomography (ERT) and electromagnetics (EM), was conducted along a section of a graben system to improve the geological understanding, define groundwater flow paths and pollution distribution in a mining and industrial setting.

Water is integral to our economy, the health of our environment, and our survival as a species. Much of this water is accessed from surface sources, mostly rivers, which are now under increased threat due to over use and the resulting hydro-political forces. Yet, groundwater exists as a viable option in many countries facing these mounting challenges. Knowledge of our deeper groundwater systems, although increasing, is still quite limited due to our propensity to focus efforts in the lower cost, lower risk, near- surface environment.

Enslin,S; Webb, SJ