Hydrogeological investigations during the exploration of fresh groundwater in cryolithic zone

Technique for exploring fresh groundwater in cryolithic zone as a water supply remains limited and underdeveloped. Securing reliable water resources in regions underlain by continuous permafrost presents significant challenges. This is because of the fact that an area is located within an ice macro-zone. An ice macro-zone is the first water-bearing complex of Quaternary sediments from the surface, whose aquifer system consists of isolated, vertically oriented narrow troughs of underflow taliks of rivers, bowl-shaped subzero and rare interfrost taliks. All of which possess very limited fresh water reserves.To enhance the identification of promising areas for fresh groundwater during the exploration stage, the technology of complexation of research methods is proposed. This technology involves the interpretation of earth remote sensing with lineament analysis of the search area, electrospecting geophysical method (electromagnetic sounding in the near-field zone) with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sounding.As a result of this study, several promising sites for fresh groundwater were identified. Exploratory drilling was conducted, uncovering fresh groundwater reserves within the upper 110–120 meters of the geological section. These reserves are part of the Quaternary water-bearing complex located within the boundary of the custody transfer station at the Zapolyarnoye oil and gas condensate field.