Geophysical, remote sensing, GIS, and isotopic applications for a better understanding of the structural controls on groundwater flow in the Mojave Desert, California

• Faults and uplifts control on groundwater flow in Mojave Desert was investigated.
• Shallow basement parallel to and west of Helendale Fault (HF) was detected (Vertical Electrical Soundings [VESs]).
• Conductive water-saturated breccia was detected (Very Low Frequency [VLF]) along HF.
• HF channels groundwater along strike; uplifts restrict lateral flow/infiltration.
• Findings invite investigations in similar settings in Mojave and elsewhere worldwide.

Study regionMojave Desert, USA.Study focusAn integrated (near-surface geophysics, remote sensing, isotopic analyses) study was conducted in the Mojave River Basin and Morongo Groundwater Basin to investigate potential effects that the Helendale Fault [HF] and basement uplifts might have on groundwater flow in the Mojave Desert.New hydrological insights for the regionThe HF traces were mapped using LiDAR and Geoeye-1 imagery (surface) and magnetic profiles (subsurface). Shallow basement parallel to and west of the HF was detected using the Vertical Electrical Soundings (VESs). Conductive water-saturated breccia was detected along the HF using the Very Low Frequency (VLF) electromagnetic measurements. Isotopic analyses (δD and δ18O) for groundwater samples from productive shallow wells, and springs sampled west of the HF and the basement uplift are less depleted (Group I: Fifteenmile Valley Groundwater sub-basin [FVGS]; average δD: −86.8‰; δ18O: −11.8‰) than samples east of the basement uplift (Group II: Lucerne Valley Groundwater sub-basin [LVGS]; average δD: −95.0‰; δ18O: −12.1‰), whereas samples proximal to, the fault have compositions similar to Group I but show evidence for mixing with Group II compositions (Group III; average δD: −88.8‰; δ18O: −11.5‰). Findings are consistent with the HF channeling groundwater from the San Bernardino Mountains with basement uplifts acting as barriers to lateral groundwater flow and could be applicable to similar settings across the Mojave Desert and elsewhere worldwide.