Dynamics of the Subsurface Temperature Field Caused by Mining-Related Groundwater Management

The subsurface temperature field was studied on a set of 46 borehole logs measured in the vicinity of uranium deposits in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. Vertical variations of the steady state temperature and the temperature gradient are governed by thermal conductivity which strongly varies in dependence on lithology. Large departures from undisturbed temperature detected in many holes are associated with uranium mining. A positive anomaly is observed in leaching fields where large amounts of acid are injected into the uranium-bearing Cenomanian. A negative anomaly is linked to the operation of hydraulic barriers which enclose the mining area and helps to contain pollution by pumping clean water into the Cenomanian aquifer. The spatial distribution of the observed temperature anomalies helps to map the migration of the fluids used in both processes.The temperature disturbance is propagated from the Cenomanian aquifer up through overlying impermeable sediments. The good fit of transient conductive models to the measured temperatures rules out heat advection and hence upward water flow towards and contamination of the upper Middle Turonian aquifer in the vicinity of the holes studied.