Long-term temperature monitoring in a borehole drilled into the Nojima Fault, southwest Japan

Abstract Long-term monitoring of temperature distribution in an active fault zone was carried out using the optical fiber temperature-sensing technique. An optical fiber cable was installed in a borehole drilled into the Nojima Fault in Awaji Island, south-west Japan, and the temperature profile to a depth of 1460 m had been measured for 2.5 years (July 1997–January 2000). Although the obtained temperature records showed small temporal variations due to drifts of the measurement system all along the cable, local temperature anomalies were detected at two depths. One at around 80 m seems to correspond to a fracture zone and may be attributed to groundwater flow in the fracture zone. This anomaly had been stable throughout the monitoring period, whereas the other anomaly at around 500 m was a transient one. The water level in the borehole could be estimated from the diurnal temperature variations in the uppermost part of the borehole and may provide information on the hydrological characteristics of the fault zone, which is connected to the borehole through perforations on the casing pipe. Except for these minor variations, the temperature profile had been very stable for 2.5 years. The conductive heat flow calculated from this profile and the thermal conductivity measured on core samples increases with depth, probably resulting from errors in thermal conductivity due to sampling problems and/or from advective heat transfer by regional groundwater flow. Assuming that the middle part of the borehole (less fractured granite layer) is least affected by these factors, heat flow at this site is estimated to be approximately 70 mW/m².     

利用自然伽马测井计算准噶尔盆地沉积层生热率及其热流贡献

沉积层放射性生热的热流贡献（沉积层热流）是沉积盆地大地热流的重要组成部分,能够有效促进中国西部“冷”盆深层-超深层烃源岩的增温和热演化.本文利用不同的自然伽马（GR）-生热率（A）经验关系式分别计算了准噶尔盆地不同构造单元16口钻孔共6120个沉积层生热率,通过与实测生热率的统计对比,确定了适用于研究区的GR-A经验关系,建立了准噶尔盆地地层生热率柱,据此计算了研究区沉积层热流贡献,并以盆参2井为例定量分析了沉积层热流的增温效应.结果表明,准噶尔盆地沉积层平均生热率为1.179±0.339 μW·m^-3,总体上随着时代变老,沉积层生热率呈现出递减趋势.准噶尔盆地沉积层热流平均为7.9±4.9 mW·m^-2,约占地壳热流的29.2%和大地热流的19.6%,区域上与盆地沉积层厚度大体一致,表现为中央坳陷最高,北天山山前冲断带变化较大,陆梁隆起和西部隆起次之,东部隆起和乌伦古坳陷最低.沉积层热流能够有效增高深层—超深层烃源层受热温度,促进有机质热演化,如在考虑和忽略沉积层生热的两种情况下计算的盆参2井下侏罗统三工河组烃源岩底部（5300 m）温度差异最大为7.3 ℃,这显然对于地温梯度小、主体油气藏埋深大的准噶尔盆地油气资源评价和勘探目标优选具有重要意义.     

Estimating Travel Time in Bank Filtration Systems from a Numerical Model Based on DTS Measurements

An approach is presented to determine the seasonal variations in travel time in a bank filtration system using a passive heat tracer test. The temperature in the aquifer varies seasonally because of temperature variations of the infiltrating surface water and at the soil surface. Temperature was measured with distributed temperature sensing along fiber optic cables that were inserted vertically into the aquifer with direct push equipment. The approach was applied to a bank filtration system consisting of a sequence of alternating, elongated recharge basins and rows of recovery wells. A SEAWAT model was developed to simulate coupled flow and heat transport. The model of a two‐dimensional vertical cross section is able to simulate the temperature of the water at the well and the measured vertical temperature profiles reasonably well. MODPATH was used to compute flowpaths and the travel time distribution. At the study site, temporal variation of the pumping discharge was the dominant factor influencing the travel time distribution. For an equivalent system with a constant pumping rate, variations in the travel time distribution are caused by variations in the temperature‐dependent viscosity. As a result, travel times increase in the winter, when a larger fraction of the water travels through the warmer, lower part of the aquifer, and decrease in the summer, when the upper part of the aquifer is warmer.     

Modelling Groundwater Fluctuations and the Frequency of Movement of a Landslide in the Terres Noires Region of Barcellonnette (France)

Onn the basis of measurements of hydrological parameters and field monitoring of a landslide in the Terres Noires in the basin of Barcelonnette (France), a hydrological model was developed, describing groundwater fluctuations in relation to precipitation. These groundwater fluctuations can be used as input to a stability model in order to assess the temporal frequency of instability of the landslide. The calculated groundwater fluctuations, which can forecast years with landslide incidents, were roughly calibrated against dated movements obtained by dendrochronological research. The hydrological system of the landslide can be understood through a three-layer sequence: a rather permeable colluvial top layer underlain by a less permeable colluvial second layer, both overlying the nearly impermeable in situ non-weathered black marls (Terres Noires). The mean Ksat value for the matrix flow in the top layer is 15·7 cm/day and in the underlying layer 0·7 cm/day. However, water fluxes in these layers occur by two types of groundwater flow: matrix flow obeying Darcy's law, and more rapid gravitational flow through preferential flow paths, increasing the conductivity by a factor of 10 to 100, as cube method Ksat measurements revealed. The model shows long-term yearly fluctuations of the phreatic surface, with peaks at the end of winter, as well as at the beginning of spring, and minimum values during the dry summer period. These long-term fluctuations are explained by the high drainage capacity of the top colluvial layer and the relatively low vertical water fluxes within the underlying colluvial layer. The model shows that maximum critical peak height conditions of the groundwater, causing instability, occur in wet seasons, with at least six consecutive months with high amounts (more than 60 mm) of precipitation. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alteration of the groundwater thermal regime caused by advection

ABSTRACT

Groundwater temperature at an arbitrary depth and at an arbitrary point is determined not only by heat transported by conduction but also by advection caused either by infiltration of rain, snowmelt or irrigated water, or by seepage from surface water bodies. Therefore, characteristic changes of groundwater temperature are observed in recharging and discharging areas within a groundwater flow system. The changes may be one-, two-, or three-dimensional, depending on individual situations. Since heat is a conservative quantity in the subsurface environment, groundwater temperature can be used as a tracer to reveal the regional structure of a groundwater flow system. A case study showing the importance of groundwater temperature in a regional groundwater survey is presented taking Nagaoka plain, Japan, as an example. The groundwater temperatures were measured in observation wells with diameters of 65 to 250 mm and depths of 20 m or more. Marked seasonal changes in temperature depth profiles showing advective effects in the horizontal direction from the Shinano River, and in the vertical direction from upper and lower aquifers, were observed. The temperature depth profiles were classified into six types. The distribution of these types does not contradict the regional structure of the groundwater flow system revealed by the potential distribution. As groundwater temperature is an easily measureable element in a hydrological survey, the method described in the present paper is appropriate for a field study in an uninstrumented groundwater basin.     

两淮煤田大地热流分布及其构造控制

基于127块煤系地层岩石样品的热导率测定结果,并结合59个井田内可靠的系统测温数据,计算得出两淮煤田的大地热流值,并编制大地热流分布图,其结果表明:两淮煤田大地热流值变化范围为29.7~83.9mW·m-2,平均值为58.3mW·m-2,和其他沉积盆地存在一定的差异,且淮南煤田大地热流值(63.7mW·m-2)远大于淮北煤田(55.2mW·m-2).综合分析得出,两淮煤田大地热流与其他盆地的差异以及淮南煤田热流值高于淮北煤田的现象为构造演化和区域地质背景的控制结果;而研究区内热流的分布不均主要是由于受地质构造对地温场的影响所致,推覆构造上下盘现今热流值的差异尤为突出.     

Influence of permeability on hydrothermal circulation in the sediment-buried oceanic crust

1 Introduction Hydrothermal circulation is the key process of hydrothermal activity. Modern seafloor hydrothermal circulation can be divided into three parts: convective cells in the oceanic curst, interface between seafloor and ocean and hydrothermal plume. Hydrothermal convection in the crust is the dominant part of the whole seafloor hydrothermal circulation. The distribu-tion and nature of hydrothermal system in the oceanic crust are controlled by crust thermal structures and permeability …     

Thermal Imagery of Groundwater Seeps: Possibilities and Limitations

Quantifying groundwater flow at seepage faces is crucial because seepage faces influence the hydroecology and water budgets of watersheds, lakes, rivers and oceans, and because measuring groundwater fluxes directly in aquifers is extremely difficult. Seepage faces provide a direct and measurable groundwater flux but there is no existing method to quantitatively image groundwater processes at this boundary. Our objective is to determine the possibilities and limitations of thermal imagery in quantifying groundwater discharge from discrete seeps. We developed a conceptual model of temperature below discrete seeps, observed 20 seeps spectacularly exposed in three dimensions at an unused limestone quarry and conducted field experiments to examine the role of diurnal changes and rock face heterogeneity on thermal imagery. The conceptual model suggests that convective air‐water heat exchange driven by temperature differences is the dominant heat transfer mechanism. Thermal imagery is effective at locating and characterizing the flux of groundwater seeps. Areas of active groundwater flow and ice growth can be identified from thermal images in the winter, and seepage rates can be differentiated in the summer. However, the application of thermal imagery is limited by diverse factors including technical issues of image acquisition, diurnal changes in radiation and temperature, and rock face heterogeneity. Groundwater discharge rates could not be directly quantified from thermal imagery using our observations but our conceptual model and experiments suggest that thermal imagery could quantify groundwater discharge when there are large temperature differences, simple cliff faces, non‐freezing conditions, and no solar radiation.     

松辽盆地大地热流

本文以65个井温数据、并从中测试了10个大地热流值为基础,阐述了松辽盆地的地温场为中部高边部低,并呈环状分布的高地温场特征;进一步阐述了盆地的地壳热结构,分区估算了盆地下面沉积岩层、花岗岩质层和玄武岩质层各层底部的温度和热流值;分析了盆地的地温场高的主要因素以及地温场与岩石圈、重磁力场的关系     

Temperature profiles in the earth of importance to deep electrical conductivity models

Deep in the Earth, the electrical conductivity of geological material is extremely dependent on temperature. The knowledge of temperature is thus essential for any interpretation of magnetotelluric data in projecting lithospheric structural models. The measured values of the terrestrial heat flow, radiogenic heat production and thermal conductivity of rocks allow the extrapolation of surface observations to a greater depth and the calculation of the temperature field within the lithosphere. Various methods of deep temperature calculations are presented and discussed. Characteristic geotherms are proposed for major tectonic provinces of Europe and it is shown that the existing temperatures on the crust-upper mantle boundary may vary in a broad interval of 350–1,000°C. The present work is completed with a survey of the temperature dependence of electrical conductivity for selected crustal and upper mantle rocks within the interval 200–1,000°C. It is shown how the knowledge of the temperature field can be used in the evaluation of the deep electrical conductivity pattern by converting the conductivity-versustemperature data into the conductivity-versus-depth data.     

Formation of the thermal-driven boundary jet in an f-plane mesoscale basin

The paper adopts an f-plane quasi-geostrophic inertial model without linearization to investigate the perturbation temperature, boundary jet and upwelling (downwelling) in an idealized rectangular basin, under the consideration of west side friction layer and heat conservation. There is net heat input on the upper surface and equal quality heat dissipation on the west boundary, and without heat exchange on other boundaries, then the heat is conservation in the whole basin. Results show that there is thermal front due to denseness of the perturbation temperature in the west side boundary, the perturbation pressure and flow field are reversal on the upper layer and bottom layer. On the bottom layer, the west coastal current is northward, and the maximum perturbation pressure center is on the west, however, on the upper layer, the east coastal current is southward, and the maximum perturbation pressure center is on the east. There is strong vertical flow in narrow western boundary layer, and also in the central zone. The effect of different upper thermal forcings is also studied, and it can be concluded that there is always temperature denseness and boundary jet near the west boundary, and the appearance of flow field reversal, but the distribution of vertical flow is rather different.     

Groundwater temperature evolution in the subsurface urban heat island of Cologne,Germany

Long‐term heating of shallow urban aquifers is observed worldwide. Our measurements in the city of Cologne, Germany revealed that the groundwater temperatures found in the city centre are more than 5 K higher than the undisturbed background. To explore the role of groundwater flow for the development of subsurface urban heat islands, a numerical flow and heat transport model is set up, which describes the hydraulic conditions of Cologne and simulates the transient evolution of thermal anomalies in the urban ground. A main focus is on the influence of horizontal groundwater flow, groundwater recharge and trends in local ground warming. To examine heat transport in groundwater, a scenario consisting of a local hot spot with a length of 1 km of long‐term ground heating was set up in the centre of the city. Groundwater temperature‐depth profiles at upstream, central and downstream locations of this hot spot are inspected. The simulation results indicate that the main thermal transport mechanisms are long‐term vertical conductive heat input, horizontal advection and transverse dispersion. Groundwater recharge rates in the city are low (<100 mm a^?1) and thus do not significantly contribute to heat transport into the urban aquifer. With groundwater flow, local vertical temperature profiles become very complex and are hard to interpret, if local flow conditions and heat sources are not thoroughly known. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vertical variation of apparent and palaeoclimatically corrected heat flow densities in the central baltic shield

The vertical variation of heat-flow density in the Central Baltic Shield was studied in 17 drill holes (389–1060 m deep). Apparent heat-flow densities calculated in 100 m depth sections, with typical determination errors smaller than 2 mW/m², showed a variation of up to 15 mW/m² in single holes. A palaeoclimatic correction for surface temperature variations during the last million years was calculated as a function of depth for each hole with a homogeneous half-space conduction model. If the bedrock temperatures are controlled only by conduction of heat, and the temperature history is accurately known, the palaeoclimatically corrected heat-flow densities should have the same (steady-state) value at all depths throughout a drill hole. In practice, the quality of the correction is indicated by decrease or increase in the standard errors of the drill-hole means of heat-flow density. When the corrections were applied to the measured data, the standard errors decreased in only eight drill holes, and the vertical variation in palaeoclimatically corrected values ranged from a few mW/m² to 10 mW/m². In some of the holes, this variation can be attributed to heat-flow refraction at inclined conductivity interfaces, resulting in local heat-flow anomalies. However, the most important cause of the variation seems to be groundwater flow in bedrock, i.e., heat transfer disturbing the conductive regime. This notion is supported by heat-flow density-depth plots and temperature-depth plots and the decrease in observed heat-flow variation below 500 m depth, which is the typical depth of rapidly changing fresh groundwater, below which more saline (and stagnant) groudwaters are usually encountered. The present results indicate the following: 1) Groundwater flow can be fairly common in the upper parts of bedrock in the Baltic Shield, and purely conductive circumstances do not necessarily prevail everywhere; 2) palaeoclimatically corrected heat-flow values must be used with great precaution, especially when signs of groundwater flow are present in the data; 3) the palaeoclimatic correction can be applied to study groundwater flow in bedrock indirectly and to test whether a conductive regime prevails or not.     

张裂型盆地地热参数的垂向变化与琼东南盆地热流分布特征

海洋热流数据是开展海洋地球动力学研究和油气资源评价的基础数据.为深入认识琼东南盆地的地热特征,本文首先利用耦合沉积作用与岩石圈张裂过程的数值模型分析了张裂型盆地主要地热参数的垂向变化特征;并通过钻孔资料的详细分析,获得了琼东南盆地44口钻孔的热流数据;结合海底地热探针获取的热流数据,对琼东南盆地地热特征及其主要影响因素进行了简要分析.结果表明:沉积作用的热披覆效应对表层热流有较明显的抑制作用,由于沉积物生热效应与披覆效应的共同作用,同一钻孔处海底表层热流与钻孔深度3000~4000m处热流或与海底间的平均热流差异很小,可以一起用于分析琼东南盆地的热流分布特征;莺歌海组、乐东组热导率随深度变化小于黄流组及其下地层热导率的变化,钻孔沉积层平均热导率约为1.7 W·(m·K)-1,钻孔地层生热率一般低于2.5μW·m-3,平均生热率为1.34μW·m-3,平均地温梯度主要介于30~45℃/km,热流介于50~99mW·m-2,陆架区热流主要集中于60~70mW·m-2,深水区钻孔具有较高的地温梯度和热流值;从北部陆架与上陆坡区往中央坳陷带,热流值从50~70mW·m-2,增高为65~85mW·m-2,并且往东有升高趋势,在盆地东部宝岛凹陷、长昌凹陷与西沙海槽北部斜坡带构成一条热流值高于85mW·m-2的高热流带.进一步分析认为,琼东南盆地现今热流分布特征是深部热异常、强烈减薄岩石圈的裂后冷却作用、晚期岩浆热事件、地壳与沉积层的生热贡献以及沉积作用的热披覆效应等多种主要因素综合作用的结果.     

Modelling discharge through artesian springs based on a high‐resolution piezometric network

Artesian springs are localized aquifer outlets that originate when pressurized ground water is allowed to rise to the surface. Computing artesian discharge directly is often subject to practical difficulties such as restricted accessibility, abundant vegetation or slow flow rates. These circumstances call for indirect approaches to quantify flow. This paper presents a method to estimate ground water discharge through an upwelling spring by means of a three‐layer steady‐state groundwater flow model. Model inputs include on‐site measurements of vertical sediment permeability, sediment temperatures and hydraulic gradients. About 70 spring bed piezometers were used to carry out permeability tests within the spring sediments, as well as to quantify the hydraulic head at different depths below the discharge point. Sediment temperatures were measured at different depths and correlated to permeabilities in order to demonstrate the potential of temperature as a substitute for cumbersome slug tests. Results show that the spatial distribution of discharge through the spring bottom is highly heterogeneous, as sediment permeability varies by several orders of magnitude within centimetres. Sensitivity analyses imply that geostatistical interpolation is irrelevant to the results if field datasets come from a sufficiently high resolution of piezometric records. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A low‐dimensional model of bedrock weathering and lateral flow coevolution in hillslopes: 1. Hydraulic theory of reactive transport

This is the first of a two‐part paper exploring the coevolution of bedrock weathering and lateral flow in hillslopes using a simple low‐dimensional model based on hydraulic groundwater theory (also known as Dupuit or Boussinesq theory). Here, we examine the effect of lateral flow on the downward fluxes of water and solutes through perched groundwater at steady state. We derive analytical expressions describing the decline in the downward flux rate with depth. Using these, we obtain analytical expressions for water age in a number of cases. The results show that when the permeability field is homogeneous, the spatial structure of water age depends qualitatively on a single dimensionless number, Hi. This number captures the relative contributions to the lateral hydraulic potential gradient of the relief of the lower‐most impermeable boundary (which may be below the weathering front within permeable or incipiently weathered bedrock) and the water table. A “scaled lateral symmetry” exists when Hi is low: age varies primarily in the vertical dimension, and variations in the horizontal dimension x almost disappear when the vertical dimension z is expressed as a fraction z/H(x) of the laterally flowing system thickness H(x). Taking advantage of this symmetry, we show how the lateral dimension of the advection–diffusion‐reaction equation can be collapsed, yielding a 1‐D vertical equation in which the advective flux downward declines with depth. The equation holds even when the permeability field is not homogeneous, as long as the variations in permeability have the same scaled lateral symmetry structure. This new 1‐D approximation is used in the accompanying paper to extend chemical weathering models derived for 1‐D columns to hillslope domains.     

Groundwater flow path determination during riverbank filtration affected by groundwater exploitation: a case study of Liao River,Northeast China

The groundwater flow path plays an important role in maintaining hydrological and ecological quality and security, which are important in the comprehensive management and use of both groundwater and surface water. In this study, an integrated multi-tracer-constrained framework was used to determine the groundwater flow path. The results show that there are shallow and deep flow paths in riverbank filtration, controlled by the different permeabilities of riverbed sediments and aquifers at different depths. The contribution of river water to shallow groundwater is less than that to deep groundwater because of the low permeability of the riverbed sediment in the dense muddy layer in the shallow slope of the river valley. This contribution decreases with increasing distance from the Liao River. The shallow groundwater quality is better than the deep groundwater quality because of its longer residence time.     

Geophysical and Hydrologic Studies of Lake Seepage Variability

Variations in lake seepage were studied along a 130 m shoreline of Mirror Lake NH. Seepage was downward from the lake to groundwater; rates measured from 28 seepage meters varied from 0 to ?282 cm/d. Causes of this variation were investigated using electrical resistivity surveys and lakebed sediment characterization. Two‐dimensional (2D) resistivity surveys showed a transition in lakebed sediments from outwash to till that correlated with high‐ and low‐seepage zones, respectively. However, the 2D survey was not able to predict smaller scale variations within these facies. In the outwash, fast seepage was associated with permeability variations in a thin (2 cm) layer of sediments at the top of the lakebed. In the till, where seepage was slower than that in the outwash, a three‐dimensional resistivity survey mapped a point of high seepage associated with heterogeneity (lower resistivity and likely higher permeability). Points of focused flow across the sediment–water interface are difficult to detect and can transmit a large percentage of total exchange. Using a series of electrical resistivity geophysical methods in combination with hydrologic data to locate heterogeneities that affect seepage rates can help guide seepage meter placement. Improving our understanding of the causes and types of heterogeneity in lake seepage will provide better data for lake budgets and prediction of mass transfer of solutes or contaminants between lakes and groundwater.     

Application of subsurface temperature measurements in geothermal prospecting in Iceland

In geothermal areas in Iceland aquifers are in most cases found to occur in highly permeable near-vertical fractures in the low permeability basaltic crust. Therefore heat transfer in the rocks surrounding the aquifers is mainly conductive.Temperature profiles in shallow non-flowing boreholes are used to construct a two dimensional model of the temperature distribution in the vicinity of near vertical aquifers. This is done by finite element solution of the equation of heat transfer which requires knowledge of the regional temperature gradient outside the area of geothermal activity and some constraints on the temperature within the aquifers. The model is helpful in estimating dip and location of near-vertical water bearing fractures and thus in siting production wells.An example of successful use to the method and of soil temperature measurements from a geothermal field in North-Iceland is demonstrated.     

Sub-arctic river bank dynamics and driving processes during the open-channel flow period

There is growing concern that rapidly changing climate in high latitudes may generate significant geomorphological changes that could mobilise floodplain sediments and carbon; however detailed investigations into the bank erosion process regimes of high latitude rivers remain lacking. Here we employ a combination of thermal and RGB colour time-lapse photos in concert with water level, flow characteristics, bank sediment moisture and temperature, and topographical data to analyse river bank dynamics during the open-channel flow period (the period from the rise of the spring snowmelt flood until the autumn low flow period) for a subarctic river in northern Finland (Pulmanki River). We show how variations of bank sediment temperature and moisture affect bank erosion rates and locations, how bank collapses relate to fluvial processes, and elucidate the seasonal variations and interlinkages between the different driving processes. We find that areas with high levels of groundwater content and loose sand layers were the most prone areas for bank erosion. Groundwater seeping caused continuous erosion throughout the study period, whereas erosion by flowing river water occurred during the peak of snowmelt flood. However, erosion also occurred during the falling phase of the spring flood, mainly due to mass failures. The rising phase of the spring flood therefore did not affect the river bank as much as its peak or receding phases. This is explained because the bank is resistant to erosion due to the prevalence of still frozen and drier sediments at the beginning of the spring flood. Overall, most bank erosion and deposition occurrences were observed during the low flow period after the spring flood. This highlights that spring melt, while often delivering the highest discharges, may not be the main driver of bank erosion in sub-arctic meandering rivers. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.