Redox potential (Eh) is one of the most important physico-chemical properties of groundwater. Groundwater Eh have been studied in terms of safety of high-level radioactive waste disposals, water resource management and so on. As the results, it is getting clear that redox potential of deep groundwater in sedimentary and crystalline rocks have a remarkable variability. For example, some reported Eh values of deep groundwater decrease with increasing depth, i.e. with residence time. However, there are few reports showing data measured in situ. Only some Eh values of deep groundwater measured from research borehole drilled at crystalline rocks in Japan and Sweden have been reported. Between 200 and 1000m depth, the Eh values of the deep groundwater range from about 0 to -400mV.
This essay first briefly summarizes methodology for Eh measurement and reports Eh values of deep groundwater. Then, it discusses the remaining issues of Eh measurement that are to develop of measurement technology applicable for various geological environments and to understand the redox evolution process through the groundwater flow system.
