Geological discontinuities such as quartz reef, a common geological feature in hard rock terrain occurring as
an intrusive body, has been investigated using geophysical methods in order to explore and map the
potential aquifer. Electrical resistivity response of quartz reef intrusive in granite host rock has been studied
using synthetic simulation for different physical conditions such as: (1) fresh intrusive body with no
alteration at contacts, (2) fresh intrusive body with weathered-fissured contacts, and (3) also fissured
intrusive body with weathered-fissured contacts. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) was carried out
traversing across and along the quartz reef at Kothur village, Hyderabad, India. Based on the ERT results 11
bore wells have been drilled followed by yield measurement, litholog collection, and electrical resistivity
logging. Geomorphology, ERT images, lithologs, resistivity logs and yield of the wells are found corroborating
with each other. Deepening of the weathering fronts are confirmed along the contacts of the quartz reef and
granite, which may qualify suitable sites for groundwater occurrence. This has been finally validated from
the drilling results, where high yielding (18 m3
/h) bore well found at low resistive zones within the quartz
reef. The study has helped in preparing a 2D section of the structural set up of the quartz reef in granite host
medium and finally revealed that the quartz reefs may provide potential groundwater zone. The distribution
of electrical resistivity of the geological discontinuity is useful providing promising input to the groundwater
flow model particularly in three dimensional.