Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability in Upper Betwa River Watershed using GIS based DRASTIC Model

Groundwater, the most vital water resource being used for irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes is nowadays under severe threat of contamination. Groundwater contamination risk assessment is an effective tool for groundwater management. In the study, a DRASTIC model which is based on the seven hydrogeological parameters viz: depth of water, net-recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity was used to evaluate the groundwater pollution potentiality of upper Betwa watershed. ArcGIS was used to create the ground water vulnerability map by overlaying the seven layers. Based on groundwater vulnerability map, the watershed has been divided in three vulnerable zones viz; low vulnerability zone with 42.83 km² of area, moderate with 369.21 km² area and high having 270.96 km² of area. Furthermore, the DRASTIC model has been validated by nitrate concentration over the area. Results of validation have shown that in low vulnerable zone, no nitrate contamination has been recorded. While in the moderate zone nitrate has been found in the range of 1.6-10ppm. However, in high vulnerable zone 11-40ppm of nitrate concentration in groundwater has been recorded, which proves that the DRASTIC model is applicable for the prediction of groundwater vulnerability in the watershed and in similar areas too.     

Application of geospatial modelling technique in delineation of fluoride contamination zones within Dwarka Basin,Birbhum, India

Dwarka River Basin is one of the fluoride affected river basin in Birbhum, West Bengal. In the present research work, various controlling factors for fluoride contamination in groundwater i.e., geology, aquifer type, groundwater table, soil, rainfall, geomorphology, drainage density, land use land cover, lineament and fault density, slope and elevation were considered to delineate the potential fluoride contamination zones within Dwarka River Basin in Birbhum. Assigning weights and ranks to various inputs factor class and their sub-class respectively was carried out on the basis of knowledge driven method. Weighted overlay analysis was carried out to generate the final potential fluoride contamination zones which are classified into two broad classes i.e., ‘high’ and ‘low’, and it is observed that major portion of the study area falls under low fluoride contamination category encompassing 88.61% of the total area which accounts for 759.48 km² and high fluoride contaminated region accounts for 11.40% of the total study area encompassing an area of about 97.67 km². Majority of high fluoride areas fall along the flood plain of Dwarka River Basin. Finally, for validation 197 reported points within Dwarka having fluoride in underground water are overlaid and an overall accuracy of 92.15% is observed. An accuracy of 83.21% and 84.24% is obtained for success and prediction rate curve respectively.     

Assessment of groundwater recharge and water fluxes of the Guarani Aquifer System, Brazil

The groundwater recharge and water fluxes of the Guarani Aquifer System in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil were assessed through a numeric model. The study area (6,748 km²) comprises Jacaré-Guaçú and Jacaré-Pepira River watersheds, tributaries of the Tietê River in the central region of the state. GIS based tools were used in the storage, processing and analysis of data. Main hydrologic phenomena were selected, leading to a groundwater conceptual model, taking into account the significant outcrops occurring in the study area. Six recharge zones were related to the geologic formation and structures of the semi-confined and phreatic aquifer. The model was calibrated against the baseflows and static water levels of the wells. The results emphasize the strong interaction of groundwater flows between watersheds and the groundwater inflow into the rivers. It has been concluded that lateral groundwater exchanges between basins, the deep discharges to the regional system, and well exploitation were not significant aquifer outflows when compared to the aquifer recharge. The results have shown that the inflows from the river into the aquifer are significant and have the utmost importance since the aquifer is potentially more vulnerable in these places.     

A new model (DRASTIC-LU) for evaluating groundwater vulnerability in parts of central Ganga Plain,India

The study area is a part of central Ganga Plain which lies within the interfluve of Hindon and Yamuna rivers and covers an area of approximately 1,345 km². Hydrogeologically, Quaternary alluvium hosts the major aquifers. A fence diagram reveals the occurrence of a single aquifer to a depth of 126 m below ground level which is intercalated by sub-regional clay beds. The depth to water level ranges from 9.55 to 28.96 m below ground level. The general groundwater flow direction is northwest to southeast. Groundwater is the major source of water supply for agricultural, domestic, and industrial uses. The overuse of groundwater has resulted in the depletion of water and also quality deterioration in certain parts of the area. This has become the basis for the preparation of a groundwater vulnerability map in relation to contamination. The vulnerability of groundwater to contamination was assessed using the modified DRASTIC-LU model. The parameters like depth to water, net recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of vadose zone, hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, and land use pattern were considered for the preparation of a groundwater vulnerability map. The DRASTIC-LU index is computed as the sum of the products of weights and rating assigned to each of the inputs considered. The DRASTIC-LU index ranges from 158 to 190, and is classified into four categories, i.e., <160, 160–170, 170–180, and >180, corresponding to low, medium, high, and very high vulnerability zones, respectively. Using this classification, a groundwater vulnerability potential map was generated which shows that 2 % of the area falls in the low vulnerable zone, 38 % falls in the medium vulnerable zone, and 49 % of the area falls in the high vulnerable zone. About 11 % of the study area falls in the very high vulnerability zone. The groundwater vulnerability map can be used as an effective preliminary tool for the planning, policy, and operational levels of the decision-making process concerning groundwater management and protection.     

Hydrogeologic framework of the Maku area basalts, northwestern Iran

The Maku area in northwestern Iran is characterized by young lava flows which erupted from Mount Ararat in Turkey. These fractured volcanic rocks overlie alluvium associated with pre-existing rivers and form a good basalt-alluvium aquifer over an area of 650 km². Groundwater discharge occurs from 12 large springs, ranging from 20 to 4,000 L s^?1, and from some extraction wells. Permian and Oligo-Miocene age limestones along the northern boundary of the Bazargan and Poldasht Plains basalts are intensively karstified and groundwater from these high lands easily enters the basalt-alluvium aquifers. The transmissivity of the basalt-alluvium aquifer ranges from 24 to 870 m² d^?1, indicating heterogeneity. Groundwater of the aquifer is a sodium-bicarbonate and mixed cation-bicarbonate type and the concentration of fluoride is higher than the universal maximum admissible concentrations for drinking. In order to determine the chemical composition and identify the source of the high fluoride concentrations in the groundwater of the basaltic area, water samples from the springs, wells and rivers were analyzed. The results indicate that the high fluoride water enters the study area from the Sari Su River.     

Identification of Groundwater Potential Zones using Remote Sensing and GIS of K-J Watershed,India

Groundwater potential zone mapping has become easier with the inputs from Remote Sensing (RS) & Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. Various thematic maps like geology, geomorphology, drainage density, slope, landuse/landcover etc can be easily generated through RS & GIS. The present study is aimed at generating groundwater potential map of Koshalya-Jhajhara (K-J) watershed by using integrated approach of RS & GIS. Various thematic layers have been generated and assigned weightages and ranks. These layers have been integrated in GIS software for generating Groundwater Potential Zone (GPZ) map of K-J watershed. The area falls into five categories of groundwater potential zones i.e. very good, good, moderate, poor and very Poor depending on the likelihood of availability of ground water. On the basis of this study it is found that only 5.83 km² and 4.91 km² area is under very good and good category of groundwater availability respectively. An area of 24.48 km² is found under moderate category whereas dominant portion of K-J watershed i.e. 61.83 km² and 37.87 km² area falls under poor and very poor category of availability of groundwater respectively.     

Integration of hydrological factors and demarcation of groundwater prospect zones: insights from remote sensing and GIS techniques

The study demonstrates the potential of geographical information system and statistical-based approaches to identify the hydrological processes and demarcate the groundwater prospect zones of the Gangolli basin, Karnataka State, India. The basin is situated in humid tropical climate and influenced by three major rivers viz. Kollur (6th order stream), Chakra (6th order stream) and Haladi (7th order stream) which cover an area of ~1,512 km² and cumulative length of ~84 km. Various thematic maps—drainage, geomorphology, geology, slope, soil, lineament and lineament density—were prepared using Survey of India topographic maps, Indian remote sensing (IRS-P6) images and other published maps. Hydrogeomorphologic characteristics were correlated with different morphometric parameters to identify the hydrological processes and demarcate the groundwater potential zones of the basin. All the hydrological units and morphometric parameters were assigned suitable weightages according to their relative importance to groundwater potentiality to identify the most deficit/surplus zones of groundwater. Based on hydrological characteristics, integrated thematic maps reveal that ~14 % (~217 km²) of basin area falls under very good, ~32 % (~486 km²) under good, ~23 % (~353 km²) under moderate, and 30 % (~443 km²) under poor zones for groundwater potential. From the sub-basin-wise prioritisation, it has been inferred that SB-III scored highest groundwater potential, followed by SB-X. Result of morphometric analyses with the hydrologic parameters indicates that ~99 % area of SB-III and SB-X are under very good to moderate groundwater potential zone. This study clearly demonstrates that hydrological parameters in relation with morphometric analyses are useful to demarcate the prospect zones of groundwater.     

Characterization of the shallow groundwater system in an alpine watershed: Handcart Gulch,Colorado, USA

Water-table elevation measurements and aquifer parameter estimates are rare in alpine settings because few wells exist in these environments. Alpine groundwater systems may be a primary source of recharge to regional groundwater flow systems. Handcart Gulch is an alpine watershed in Colorado, USA comprised of highly fractured Proterozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks with wells completed to various depths. Primary study objectives include determining hydrologic properties of shallow bedrock and surficial materials, developing a watershed water budget, and testing the consistency of measured hydrologic properties and water budget by constructing a simple model incorporating groundwater and surface water for water year 2005. Water enters the study area as precipitation and exits as discharge in the trunk stream or potential recharge for the deeper aquifer. Surficial infiltration rates ranged from 0.1–6.2×10^?5 m/s. Discharge was estimated at 1.28×10^?3 km³. Numerical modeling analysis of single-well aquifer tests predicted lower specific storage in crystalline bedrock than in ferricrete and colluvial material (6.7×10^?5–2.0×10^?3 l/m). Hydraulic conductivity in crystalline bedrock was significantly lower than in colluvial and alluvial material (4.3×10^?9–2.0×10^?4 m/s). Water budget results suggest that during normal precipitation and temperatures water is available to recharge the deeper groundwater flow system.     

Geospatial and MCDM tool mix for identification of potential groundwater prospects in a tropical river basin,Kerala

The efficiency of GIS, RS and multi-criteria tools in isolating potential groundwater (GW) zones in the Kuttiyadi River basin (KRB), Kerala, has been robustly demonstrated by analysis of relevant data. To infer geohydrological makeup and consequent behavior of the KRB in respect of GW potential, firstly, various thematic layers viz. geomorphology, geology, slope, soil, lineament density and drainage density, were created. Secondly, thematic layers and their features were assigned suitable weights on the Saaty’s scale according to their relative significance for the presence and potential of GW. The assigned weights of the layers and their features were normalized using analytic network process method, and then the selected thematic maps were integrated in GIS using weighted overlay method to create the final groundwater prospect zone map. From the outcomes, the groundwater prospect zones of the KRB basin was found to be very good (166.21 km²), good (92.01 km²), moderate (180.33 km²), poor (237.25 km²), which constitute 24, 15, 26 and 35% of the study area, respectively. The GW prospect zone map was finally validated using geohydrology of area and GW level data from 43 phreatic wells in the study area. This study showed that groundwater prospect zone demarcation along with multi-criteria decision making is a powerful tool for proper utilization, planning and management of the precious groundwater resource.     

Karst groundwater management by defining protection zones based on regional geological structures and groundwater flow fields

In a semiarid region, the karst aquifer generally forms a large groundwater reservoir that can play an important role in regional water supply. But because of the specific physical properties of karst aquifers, they are vulnerable to pollution and anthropogenic impacts. Karst groundwater management strategies are vital. As representative of karst springs in a semiarid area, Niangziguan Springs is located in the east of Shanxi Province, China with an annual average rate of discharge of 10.34 m³/s (1956–2003) (Y. Liang, unpublished data). The Niangziguan Spring Basin covers an area of 7,394 km² with an annual average precipitation of 535 mm (1958–2003) (Hao et al. in Carsologica Sinica 23(1):43–47, 2004). Over the past three decades, accelerated groundwater exploitation has caused water-table decline in the aquifer, reduction of the spring discharge, and deterioration of water quality. In this study, three protection zones were defined to ensure the quality and capacity of this resource. The confluence of the 11 spring systems and the discharge areas were defined as I protection zone, the recharge basin was II protection zone, and the slack water area where there is little surface recharge was the III protection zone. Management strategies for each zone were suggested and evaluated to provide a scientific foundation for sustainable utilization.     

Hydrogeologic characteristics of the alluvial tuff aquifer of northern Sahand Mountain slopes, Tabriz, Iran

The Tabriz area is a densely populated area of northwestern Iran (more than 1.5 million in population) with a large proportion of its drinking, domestic, industrial and agricultural water supplied from groundwater resources. The average rate of drinking and industrial water use in the city of Tabriz is about 3.45 m³ s^–1. The Plio-Pleistocene unconfined alluvial tuff aquifer (about 1,275 km²), the most important aquifer in the area, has been known for many years as a reliable resource. The greatest estimated thickness of the alluvial tuff lies in the Saidabad area, with 350 m thickness. There are 994 deep and 284 shallow active pumping wells and 83 qanats operate in the alluvial tuff aquifer. The total water withdrawal from all these artificial discharge points has been measured at 72, 3.8 and 17 million m3/year, respectively. Analytical and numerical methods have been applied to the constant rate pumping test data from the Saidabad wellfield (eight pumping and three observation wells). The values of electrical conductivity in the groundwater of alluvial tuff aquifer range from 203 to 960 μS cm^–1 and bicarbonate type water dominates.     

Identification of groundwater potential zones within an area with various geomorphological units by using several field parameters and a GIS approach in Kulon Progo Regency, Java, Indonesia

A case study was conducted to find the groundwater potential zones in an area between the Serang and Bogowonto rivers, Kulon Progo Regency, Java, Indonesia. The objectives of this study were to delineate the groundwater potential zone based on a number of groundwater parameters that can be surveyed in the field and to incorporate the geomorphological conditions into these data. The geomorphology interpretation was conducted using the landform approach. This approach begins by preparing supporting data such as an Indonesian Topographic Map containing contour and land use data; a regional geology map containing lithology type and geology structures; and soil, climate, and hydrological data. The determination of the geomorphology unit was conducted manually by the visual interpretation of Digital Landsat ETM⁺ with some image interpretation keys. Four groundwater parameters were surveyed in the field: (a) depth to the water table, (b) water table fluctuation, (c) fluid electrical conductivity to represent groundwater quality, and (d) aquifer thickness. The groundwater potential zones were obtained by overlaying all the groundwater field parameters in terms of weighted overlay methods using the spatial analysis tool in ArcGIS 9.2. During the weighted overlay analysis, rankings were produced for each individual parameter of each groundwater field parameter, and weights were assigned based on the amount of influence they had (i.e., depth to the water table—30 %, water table fluctuation—20 %, aquifer thickness—30 %, and fluid conductivity—20 %). We then found the good, moderate, and poor zones in terms of groundwater potential, which had areas of 5.83, 4.53, and 2.36 km², respectively. Areas with good groundwater potential are located largely within sand dunes, beach ridges, beaches, and fluviomarine plain landforms, which are characterized by a shallow water table, low fluctuation, thick aquifer, and low EC value. Moderate groundwater zones are generally characterized by poor water quality (high EC value), which is found to some degree in the alluvial plain. The regions with poor groundwater potential are spread mainly across the landforms composed of igneous rock (thin aquifers), such as denudational hills, which act as run-off zones due to their steep slope.     

Impact of city expansion on hydrological regime of Rispana Watershed,Dehradun, India

Rispana River flows through the heart of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand State, India. Uttarakhand had separated from Uttar Pradesh State in the year 2000; since then, Dehradun City has witnessed numerous changes. Both urban sprawl and densification were noticed, with around a 32% increase in population. The city had faced recurrent high runoff and urban flood situations in these last 2 decades. Therefore, the study was conducted to detect the change in land use/land cover (LULC), especially urbanization, through remote sensing data; and later to determine the impacts of such changes on the Rispana watershed hydrology. The LULC maps for the year 2003 and the 2017 were generated through supervised classification technique using the Landsat Series satellite datasets. The LULC change analysis depicted that mainly the urban settlement class increased with significant area among other classes from the year 2003–2017. It was noticed that majorly agriculture and fallow land (8.18 km², which is 13.52% of total watershed area) converted to urban, increasing the impervious area. Almost all the municipal wards, falling in the Rispana watershed, showed urbanization during the said period, with an increase of as high as 71%. The change in LULC or effect of urbanization on the hydrological response of the watershed was assessed using the most widely used Natural Resources Conservation Services Curve Number method. It was noticed that the area under moderated runoff potential (approx. 10.23 km²) steeply increased during the lean season, whereas, high runoff potential zones (5 km²) increased significantly under wet season. Therefore, it was concluded that an increase in impervious surface resulted in high runoff generation. Further, such LULC change along with climate might lead to high runoff within the watershed, which the present storm drainage network could not withstand. The situation generally led to urban floods and affected urban dwellers regularly. Therefore, it is critical to assess the hydrological impacts of LULC change for land use planning and water resource management. Furthermore, under the smart city project, the local government has various plans to improve present infrastructure; therefore, it becomes necessary to incorporate such observations in the policies.

     

Watershed-scale response of groundwater recharge to inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in precipitation (Alberta,Canada)

Groundwater recharge sets a constraint on aquifer water balance in the context of water management. Historical data on groundwater and other relevant hydrological processes can be used to understand the effects of climatic variability on recharge, but such data sets are rare. The climate of the Canadian prairies is characterized by large inter-annual and inter-decadal variability in precipitation, which provides opportunities to examine the response of groundwater recharge to changes in meteorological conditions. A decadal study was conducted in a small (250 km²) prairie watershed in Alberta, Canada. Relative magnitude of annual recharge, indicated by water-level rise, was significantly correlated with a combination of growing-season precipitation and snowmelt runoff, which drives depression-focussed infiltration of meltwater. Annual precipitation was greater than vapour flux at an experimental site in some years and smaller in other years. On average precipitation minus vapour flux was 10 mm y^?1, which was comparable to the magnitude of watershed-scale groundwater recharge estimated from creek baseflow. Average baseflow showed a distinct shift from a low value (4 mm y^?1) in 1982–1995 to a high value (15 mm y^?1) in 2003–2013, indicating the sensitivity of groundwater recharge to a decadal-scale variability of meteorological conditions.     

Intrinsic vulnerability assessment of Saturnia thermal aquifer by means of three parametric methods: SINTACS,GODS and COP

Three different parametric methods for the evaluation of intrinsic vulnerability to pollution have been applied in a hydrothermal carbonate aquifer located in central-northern Italy and the results obtained were compared with each other. The study area, large, approximately 152 km², lies in an area of the northern Apennines. The investigated aquifer feeds the hot thermal springs of Saturnia. The vulnerability assessment methods used are: SINTACS, GODS and COP. The vulnerability maps obtained were first individually examined, and then they were compared with each other by means of spatial analysis. These maps show similar results for the estimation of the vulnerability just in some areas. SINTACS yields areas potentially vulnerable to pollution along the Albegna River and its major tributaries in the northern part of the study area. The GODS index map reflects the great importance that this method gives to the lithological characteristics of the unsaturated zone in the subdivision of areas with different vulnerability. GODS and COP methods agree in classifying low vulnerability in the most part of central-southern study area, where the aquifer is confined by the Pliocene clay deposits. Based on the conceptual model of groundwater flow developed for the aquifer under investigation, COP seems the most appropriate method among those applied in this work, in particular with regard to the assessment of the vulnerability of the recharge area of thermal groundwater. Located in the northern part of the study area, where karst carbonate formations of the Tuscan Nappe outcrop, this recharge area is classified by the COP method as highly vulnerable to pollution.     

Assessing groundwater storage in the Kairouan plain aquifer using a 3D lithology model (Central Tunisia)

The aquifer of the semi-arid Kairouan plain has been exploited for decades to supply the growing irrigated agriculture and the need of drinking water. In parallel, the major hydraulic works drastically changed the natural groundwater recharge processes. The continuous groundwater level drop observed since the 1970s naturally raises the question of groundwater storage sustainability. To date, hydrogeological studies focused on groundwater fluxes, but the total amount of groundwater stored in the aquifer system has never been fully estimated. This is the purpose of the present paper. A complete database of all available geological, hydrogeological and geophysical data was created to build a 3D lithology model. Then, the lithological units were combined with the hydraulic properties to estimate the groundwater storage. Over the 700 km² of the modelled area, the estimated storage in 2013 was around 18?×?10⁹ m³ (equivalent to 80 times the annual consumption of 2010) with a highly variable spatial distribution. In 45 years (1968–2013), 12% of the amount of groundwater stored in the aquifer has been depleted. According to these results, individual farms will face strong regional disparities for their access to groundwater in the near future.     

Variation of groundwater hydrochemical characteristics in the plain area of the Tarim Basin,Xinjiang Region,China

Groundwater hydrochemistry could reveal the interaction mechanism between groundwater and the environment, which provides a scientific basis for environmental resources management. In this study, Shukaliefu’s classification method and Piper diagram were adopted to determine the hydrochemical types of groundwater in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China. The method of “one^-vote veto” was applied to evaluate the quality of groundwater. Phreeqc software was used to calculate the saturation indices of calcite and fluorite in groundwater. By comparing groundwater quality data of 2003 and 2011, we characterized the variations in hydrochemical types and water quality types, salinization of groundwater and fluoride geochemistry of the plain area of the Tarim Basin. Results show that the primary anion in phreatic water in the plain area of the Tarim Basin changed from HCO₃ ^? to SO₄ ^2? or Cl^?. On the contrary, the primary anion in confined water changed from SO₄ ^2? or Cl^? to HCO₃ ^?. In 2003, 63.1 % of the sampling points in the study area exceeded the Class III water quality standard of China. In 2011, the proportion increased to 82.5 %. In addition, severe groundwater salinization was found at 19.7 % of the sampling points. Some of the deep groundwater samples were salinized as well. In the Aksu area at the north-west part of the Tarim Basin, F^? concentration exceeding the standard limit (1 mg/L) was found to be 55.0 % of the groundwater samples tested. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the phreatic water in the study area was severely influenced by the industrial wastewater and domestic sewage related to human activities, while the confined water was less affected. The general quality of groundwater was in an aggravation trend, and the groundwater salinization was in a severe condition in this area. The Ca²⁺–Na⁺ ionic exchange, the unsaturated fluorite and oversaturated calcite in the aquifer of the Aksu area are proposed to cause F^? enrichment in groundwater of this area.     

Determination of potential mine water discharge zones in crystalline rocks at Rozna,Czech Republic

The Rozna Mine is one of the last active uranium mines in Europe. When the mine is closed and flooded, the natural groundwater flow pattern will be partly restored. Re-established groundwater flow system will be associated with an increase of groundwater discharge into draining rivers and streams. Since the groundwater inflows to streams can be contaminated by the mine water, the groundwater drainage characteristic of fractured aquifer should be carefully identified. Several methods of groundwater discharge zones identification were used including morphological analysis, thermometry, and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements. Stream temperatures and EC at more than 700 points in the area covering about 85 km² were measured. The measurements were performed during winter period, when stream discharges were low and there was a maximum temperature contrast. There was a frequent presence of preferential discharge zones with resulting anomalous temperatures and electric conductivity values of stream water. The results show evident correlation of discharge zones with surface morphology and geological settings. Just like the aquifer discharge characteristics, the aquifer is strongly heterogeneous. The thermometry supported by measurement of EC proved to be a useful tool for large-scale investigation of groundwater flow and drainage in fractured aquifers.     

Characterization of the Cretaceous aquifer structure of the Meskala region of the Essaouira Basin,Morocco

The aquifer of early Cretaceous age in the Meskala region of the Essaouira Basin is defined by interpretation of geological drilling data of oil and hydrogeological wells, field measurement and analysis of in situ fracture orientations, and the application of a morphostructural method to identify lineaments. These analyzes are used to develop a stratigraphic–structural model of the aquifer delimited by fault zones of two principal orientations: NNE and WNW. These fault zones define fault blocks that range in area from 4 to 150 km². These blocks correspond either to elevated zones (horsts) or depressed zones (grabens). This structural setting with faults blocks of Meskala region is in accordance with the structure of the whole Essaouira Basin. Fault zones disrupt the continuity of the aquifer throughout the study area, create recharge and discharge zones, and create dip to the units from approximately 10° to near vertical in various orientations. Fracture measurements and morphometric-lineament analyzes help to identify unmapped faults, and represent features important to groundwater hydraulics and water quality within fault blocks. The above geologic features will enable a better understanding of the behaviour and hydro-geo-chemical and hydrodynamics of groundwater in the Meskala aquifer.     

Delineation of saline groundwater and sea water intrusion zones using transient electromagnetic (TEM) method, Wadi Thuwal area, Saudi Arabia

In the coastal western part of Saudi Arabia at Thuwal area located close from the Red Sea, the shallow groundwater specific electrical conductivities measured at the drill holes range from 6 to 13 mS/cm. In order to study the origin of this salinity, a good knowledge is required of the aquifer geometry with depth. Ninety nine transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings were carried out over an area of about 100 km². From the TEM profiles, a conductive substratum with a resistivity of 1–13 Ωm was identified at most of the sites at depth ranging from 50 to 150 m. This substratum is related to Oligocene–Miocene sediments (Shumaysi Formation) which are mainly red clay-rich formation containing brines at coastal zones. Clayey sediments are more likely present in the southeastern part and along the faults that run NE–SW across the study area and parallel to the Quaternary volcanic which runs NW–SE. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the TEM sounding method to map conductive zones.