Salt loads in the Colorado River Basin are a primary water quality concern. Natural groundwater brine discharge to the Dolores River where it passes through the collapsed salt anticline of the Paradox Valley in western Colorado (USA) is a significant source of salt to the Colorado River. An airborne electromagnetic survey of Paradox Valley has provided insights into the three-dimensional distribution of brine in the surficial aquifer. A combination of stochastic and deterministic resistivity inversions was used to interpret the top of the freshwater–brine interface and to qualitatively describe the vertical salinity gradients across the interface. Low-resistivity regions indicative of brine occur near the land surface where brine discharges to the Dolores River and increase in depth several kilometers up-gradient along the axis of the valley. The most conductive parts of the brine plume are found in the areas below and adjacent to the river, suggesting that the brine becomes shallower and more concentrated as it reaches its natural discharge location. A significant freshwater lens overlying the brine west of the Dolores River is spatially correlated to the intermittent West Paradox Creek and agricultural irrigation. Below this lens, the transition from freshwater to brine appears to occur abruptly over a few meters and correlates to available well information. However, away from these regions and particularly with distance from the river, the freshwater–brine interface appears to be more diffuse.

科罗拉多河流域的盐负荷是主要的水质问题。天然地下水盐水流到多洛雷斯河，并穿过科罗拉多州西部美国悖论谷的坍塌盐背斜，是科罗拉多河的重要盐分来源。对悖论谷进行的机载电磁勘测提供了有关表层含水层中盐水的三维分布的见解。随机和确定性电阻率反演的结合用于解释淡水-盐水界面的顶部，并定性地描述界面上的垂直盐度梯度。指示盐水的低电阻率区域出现在陆地表面附近，那里的盐水排入多洛雷斯河，并沿山谷轴线向上几公里的深度增加。盐水羽流中导电性最强的部分位于河流的下方和附近，这表明盐水到达自然排放位置后变得更浅，更集中。在多洛雷斯河以西的盐水上覆盖着一个重要的淡水透镜，在空间上与间歇性的西悖论河和农业灌溉相关。在该透镜下方，从淡水到盐水的转变似乎在几米处突然发生，并且与可用的井信息相关。但是，远离这些地区，尤其是与河流的距离，淡水与盐水的界面似乎更加分散。这表明盐水到达自然排放位置时会变得更浅，更浓。在多洛雷斯河以西的盐水上覆盖着一个重要的淡水透镜，在空间上与间歇性的西悖论河和农业灌溉相关。在该透镜下方，从淡水到盐水的转变似乎在几米处突然发生，并且与可用的井信息相关。但是，远离这些地区，尤其是与河流的距离，淡水与盐水的界面似乎更加分散。这表明盐水到达自然排放位置时会变得更浅，更浓。在多洛雷斯河以西的盐水上覆盖着一个重要的淡水透镜，在空间上与间歇性的西悖论河和农业灌溉相关。在该透镜下方，从淡水到盐水的转变似乎在几米处突然发生，并且与可用的井信息相关。但是，远离这些地区，尤其是与河流的距离，淡水与盐水的界面似乎更加分散。从淡水到盐水的转变似乎在几米处突然发生，并且与可用的井信息相关。但是，远离这些地区，尤其是与河流的距离，淡水与盐水的界面似乎更加分散。从淡水到盐水的转变似乎在几米处突然发生，并且与可用的井信息相关。但是，远离这些地区，尤其是与河流的距离，淡水与盐水的界面似乎更加分散。