The integrated use of remote sensing imagery and hydro-geophysical field surveys is a well-established approach to map the hydrogeological framework, and thus explore and evaluate the groundwater potentiality of desert lands, where groundwater is considered as the main source of freshwater. This study uses such integrated approach to map the groundwater potentiality of the desert alluvial floodplain of the Nile Valley west of Qena, Egypt, as alternative water source to the River Nile. Typically ground gradient, faults and their stress field, lateral variation of rock permeability, drainage patterns, watersheds, rainfall, lithology, and soil types are the main factors believed to affect the groundwater recharge and storage from the infiltration of present-time and paleo-runoff. Following this generally accepted approach, different remote sensing data sets (SRTM DEM, Landsat-8, ALOS/PALSAR-1, Sentinel-1, and TRMM) as well as auxiliary maps (geological and soil maps) were used to identify and map these factors and prepare thematic maps portraying the different influences they exert on the groundwater recharge. These thematic maps were overlaid and integrated using weights in a GIS framework to generate the groundwater potentiality map which categorizes the different recharge capabilities into five zones. Moreover, the aeromagnetic data were processed to map the deep-seated structures and estimate the depth to basement rocks that may control the groundwater occurrence. In addition, the vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements were applied and calibrated with the available borehole data to delineate the subsurface geological and hydrogeological setting as well as the groundwater aquifers. Different geoelectric cross-sections and hydro-geophysical maps were constructed using the borehole information and VES interpretation results to show the lateral extension of the different lithological units, groundwater-bearing zones, water table, and the saturated thickness of the aquifer. The GIS model and geophysical results show that the southwest part of Nag’a Hammadi-El-Ghoneimia stretch has very high recharge and storage potentiality and is characterized by the presence of two groundwater-bearing zones. The shallow groundwater aquifer is located at a depth of 30 m with a saturation thickness of more than 43 m. However, there are NW–SE faults crossing the study area and most likely serve as recharge conduits by connecting the shallow aquifer with the deeper ones. Such aquifers connection has been confirmed by investigating the chemical and isotopic composition of their groundwater.

The study area represents part of Wadi El Abiad in Shalatien province at the extreme southeastern corner of Egypt. It lies at latitude 22^○ 51´ 00˝ and longitudes 35^○ 14´ 00˝ to occupy an area of about 0.26 km². The area is essentially covered by Precambrian basement rocks, mainly granodiorite, and characterized by low to moderate topography. The aim of this study is to locate possible structural features and their deposits of mineralization, which hosted primarily in the shear or alteration zones within volcanic rocks. Therefore, integrated geophysical methods were employed through the use of ground magnetic, self-potential, gradient resistivity and induced polarization reconnaissance mapping and detailed 2D resistivity and induced polarization profiling to delineate the mineral ore deposits in terms of depths and extensions. The inspection of RTP map shows the presence of two major faults affecting middle of the study area trending E-W and major NW-SE uplifted trend appears clearly in the first vertical derivative map (FVD). The calculated average depth from the power spectrum curve equal 60 m for the regional component and 30 m for the residual one. At source parameter image (SPI) and analytical signal (AS) maps, the NE-SW, NW-SE, NEE-SWW and NWW-SEE trends show more shallow depth as the presence of basement rocks. The basement relief map illustrates that, the maximum values of the depth to the basement rocks are located nearly at the central part of the map, at extreme east and west edges in the center of the map, and also at the south edge of the map. The apparent chargeability map shows positive anomalies, about 750 msec, to the south. Three of them are located quite coincident along the interpreted faults derived from the magnetic data and correspond to low SP anomalies, about − 20 mv, and relatively low resistivity anomalies, about 75 Ω.m. Such anomalies indicate possible expected mineralization locations in the subsurface. The results of 2D-resistivity and IP inversions indicated that there are different anomalous zones of high conductivity and chargeability at depths ranging from 10 to 20m to indicate probable locations of ore deposits and/or disseminated minerals. At least three of these anomalies were recommended for core drilling and geochemical analysis to evaluate the mineral potentiality of the study area.