GIS-based subsurface databases and 3-D geological modeling as a tool for the set up of hydrogeological framework: Nabeul–Hammamet coastal aquifer case study (Northeast Tunisia)

The subsurface data are a basic requirement for the set up of hydrogeological framework. Geographic information systems (GIS) tools have proved their usefulness in hydrogeology over the years which allow for management, synthesis, and analysis of a great variety of subsurface data. However, standard multi-layered systems are quite limited for modeling, visualizing, and editing subsurface data and geologic objects and their attributes. This paper presents a methodology to support the implementation of hydrogeological framework of the multi-layered aquifer system in Nabeul–Hammamet (NH) coastal region (NE, Tunisia). The methodology consists of (1) the development of a complete and generally accepted hydrogeological classification system for NH aquifer system (2) the development of relational databases and subsequent GIS-based on geological, geophysical and hydrogeological data, and (3) the development of meaningful three-dimensional geological and aquifer models, using GIS subsurface software, RockWorks 2002. The generated 3-D geological models define the lithostratigraphy and the geometry of each depositional formation of the region and delineate major aquifers and aquitards. Where results of the lithologic model revealed that there is a wide range of hydraulic conductivities in the modeled area, which vary spatially and control the groundwater flow regime. As well, 17 texturally distinct stratigraphic units were identified and visualized in the stratigraphic model, while the developed aquifer model indicates that the NH aquifer system is composed of multi-reservoir aquifers subdivided in aquifers units and separated by sandy clay aquitards. Finally, this study provides information on the storing, management and modeling of subsurface spatial database. GIS has become a useful tool for hydrogeological conceptualization and groundwater management purposes and will provide necessary input databases within different groundwater numerical models.     

First steps towards an interoperable GIS — an example from Southern Lower Saxony —

In geosciences the necessity of combining geological and geophysical information as well as applying tools for designing 3D geological and geophysical models is well accepted. Nevertheless, in most cases this demand is only put into practice by file transfer between the applications. The creation of a common 3D model is complicated by the inflexible handling of new and reinterpreted data and by changing applications, heterogeneous operating systems and/or hardware platforms. We present a new approach for a component based GIS which is coupled with an object oriented database management system. The original data, as well as the derived data and the 3D models, are stored in the extensible database. Geological and geophysical 3D modeling tools have direct access to the database via the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (COREA). By this means, we obtained both the integration of the software components and independence from changing software applications and changing platforms, finally resulting in an interoperable 3D GIS.     

Geophysical and hydrogeologic investigation of groundwater in the Karoo stratigraphic sequence at Sawmills in northern Matabeleland,Zimbabwe: a case history

Geophysical and hydrogeological investigations have been carried out around Sawmills in Zimbabwe, Africa. The investigations are components of a larger investigation to assess the groundwater potential of the Karoo sedimentary basin with regards to supplying water to Bulawayo City. The Sawmills area was selected due to the availability of borehole logs indicating favourable stratigraphy for groundwater availability and due to the high yields from the aquifers measured from these boreholes. Data collected using two geophysical methods are presented here: transient electromagnetic (TEM) and continuous vertical electrical sounding (CVES) data. The data have also been processed using laterally constrained inversion (LCI). Because the CVES provides greater detail in the shallow subsurface, whereas TEM is more effective at depth, a more accurate image of the entire subsurface profile is provided based on using both methods. The results suggest that LCI of CVES and TEM data, in the subsurface at the required depths at Sawmills, is able to provide a substantially more accurate image of the subsurface than either method alone. The hydrogeological interpretation of the geophysical data is valuable for determining the depth to and thickness of the potential aquifer horizon(s) and for identifying the position of potential recharge zones.     

新疆准噶尔盆地东缘五彩湾地区煤田钻孔数据集

新疆准噶尔盆地是中国油气、煤炭等能源矿产的重要储集场所。本次研究对搜集到的准噶尔盆地东缘五彩湾地区20个煤田钻孔资料进行二次开发利用,通过提取钻孔坐标、高程、地层分层厚度、颜色、测井曲线解译数据等重要信息,重新建立了钻孔数据集。数据集共包含20个钻孔资料的Excel数据库型数据,每个Excel数据库由“钻孔基本信息”、“测井解释岩性分层”、“地质编录柱状分层”、“综合柱状信息”、“钻孔岩性分层”、“地层名称及代号表”、“地层颜色”、“测井曲线配置”、“测井曲线数据”、“数据字典”等10个工作表组成。利用石文软件可读取数据集信息,绘制地层沉积三维立体图,该成果能够对准噶尔盆地东缘五彩湾地区砂体的空间展布、三维地质结构等提供更加直观的认识,对研究准噶尔盆地东缘五彩湾地区的沉积环境具有重要意义。     

Alternative conceptual models and the robustness of groundwater management scenarios in the multi-aquifer system of the Central Veneto Basin, Italy

A three-dimensional (3D) groundwater flow model of the deep multi-aquifer Quaternary deposits of the Po plain sedimentary basin, within a 3,300-km² area (Veneto, Italy), is developed, tested and applied to aid sustainable large-scale water-resources management. Integrated mathematical modelling proves significantly successful, owing to an unusual wealth of available geological, geophysical, and hydrologic data and to state-of-the-art numerical tools. Of particular interest is the evaluation of the influence of alternative conceptual models; that is, of reconstructed representations of the 3D geological model of the structure of the aquifers. The reference conceptual model is set up by means of extended geological sections and stratigraphic records, and is used to create a large, unstructured 3D finite element grid. By analyzing the effects on piezometric surfaces and on the overall water budget of geometrical perturbations from the reference structure, alternative geo-structural models, obtained by systematically shifting the pinch-out of the aquitards, are compared. Interestingly, the impacts of aquitard pinch-out prove far from negligible. The results suggest the critical importance of reliable geological models even for large, complex 3D models. The good practice of iteratively testing numerically the impact of surprises on the conceptual model, as more field information is collected, is thus supported.     

基于GMS软件的海砂矿体三维地质建模和资源量估算

本文以南海北部某海域海砂矿区为例,提出了基于GMS软件的海砂矿三维地质建模和资源量估算方法.以钻孔和综合物探数据为源数据,划定了矿区内V1和V2矿体的边界,基于GMS软件系统构建了数据库,综合利用钻孔、综合物探、剖面图和海底地形控制面等资料,建立了三维地质模型,有效实现了海砂矿体三维可视化和体积资源量的估算.三维地质模...     

Influence of fracture anisotropy and lithological heterogeneity on wellfield response in a fluvial sandstone aquifer of the Carboniferous Moncton Subbasin, Canada

Pump tests and geophysical logs acquired in a fluvial sandstone aquifer within the resource-rich Moncton Subbasin of New Brunswick, Canada, have been used to characterize fracture patterns and flow directions for purposes of developing a water-wellfield protection plan. Fracture patterns consist of three high-angle sets, and a low-angle set parallel to bedding. NW-trending high-angle fractures, predominantly in fluvial sandstone units, appear to be most important in controlling groundwater flow directions. This contrasts with an earlier regional hydrogeological study that attributed most flow to sub-horizontal bedding-plane fractures. Water levels monitored during a 72-h pump test revealed drawdown extension parallel to the NW-trending fracture set. Drawdown curves indicate that the aquifer is laterally constrained—likely reflecting differences in fracturing observed between the channelized sandstone and surrounding shale units. As a result, groundwater flow induced by pumping is influenced by both fracture anisotropy and by the heterogeneity of the fluvial depositional environment. Relationships observed between fracture patterns, regional geological structure and lithology provide a basis for extrapolating the conceptual model to other nearby areas in the region, where potential impacts of geological resource development on groundwater are attracting public concern.     

Bayesian Spatial Modelling of Gamma Ray Count Data

Gamma ray logging is a method routinely employed by geophysicists and environmental engineers in site geology evaluations. Modelling of gamma ray data from individual boreholes assists in the local identification of major lithological changes; modelling these data from a network of boreholes assists with lithological mapping and spatial stratigraphic correlation. In this paper we employ Bayesian spatial partition models to analyse gamma ray data spatially. In particular, a spatial partition is defined via a Voronoi tessellation and the mean intensity is assumed constant in each cell of the partition. The number of vertices generating the tessellation as well as the locations of vertices are assumed unknown, and uncertainty about these quantities is described via a hierarchical prior distribution. We describe the advantages of the spatial partition modelling approach in the context of smoothing gamma ray count data and describe an implementation that may be extended to the fitting of a more general model than a constant mean within each cell of the partition. As an illustration of the methodology we consider a data set collected from a network of eight boreholes, which is part of a geophysical study to assist in mapping the lithology of a site. Gamma ray logs are linked with geological information from cores and the spatial analysis of log data assists with predicting the lithology at unsampled locations.     

A simple approach to define Holocene sequence stratigraphy using borehole and cone penetration test data

Cone penetration testing has been widely used since the 1950s for determining the subsurface geotechnical conditions of unconsolidated sediments. This paper highlights the potential value of cone penetration testing as an aid to define the stratigraphic structure of Holocene sedimentary deposits. By calibrating cone penetration test logs with adjacent borehole logs and by utilizing all the available information produced during geotechnical surveying, stratigraphic models that accurately describe the vertical and lateral boundaries, as well as the stacking pattern, of Late Quaternary systems can be constructed. The widespread application and technical simplicity of cone penetration testing, combined with simple data interpretation via correlation with adjacent borehole logs, yield a useful and inexpensive tool for sedimentological investigations. This methodology is illustrated using data from 36 cone penetration tests and 11 boreholes on the Holocene deltaic plain of the Aliakmon River, Greece. Sedimentological and stratigraphic information from core log correlations, the spatial distribution of cone penetration test parameters, sediment grain size and per cent concentration of organic matter are utilized. The results suggest, that in sequence stratigraphic terms, the delta is divided into a lowstand systems tract composed by fluvial gravels and sands (U0) of Late Pleistocene age, as well as from red oxidized clays, and a transgressive systems tract represented by fluvial channel sands (U1), overlain by a thin transgressive sand sheet of coastal origin (U2), characterized by fining upward trends. The highstand systems tract is constituted by a variety of stratigraphic units (U3 to U7) and depositional environments, characterized by coarsening upward sequences, representing both aggradational and progradational facies, and dominated by the presence of three prograding wedges. Detailed definition of the thickness, vertical boundaries and stacking pattern of the resolved stratigraphic units, presented as a two‐dimensional stratigraphic model, demonstrates the applicability of the proposed method.     

Sedimentary markers in the Provençal Basin (western Mediterranean): a window into deep geodynamic processes

Deep Earth dynamics impact so strongly on surface geological processes that we can use sediment palaeo‐markers as a window into the deeper Earth. Derived from climatic and tectonic erosive actions on the continents, and related to eustasy, subsidence and isostasy, the sediment in a deep basin is the main recorder of these processes. Nevertheless, defining and quantifying the relative roles of parameters that interact to give the final sedimentary architecture is not a simple task. Using a 3D‐grid of seismic and wide‐angle data, boreholes and numerical stratigraphic modelling, we propose here a quantification of post‐rift vertical movements in the Provençal Basin (West Mediterranean) involving three domains of subsidence: seaward tilting on the platform and the slope and purely vertical subsidence in the deep basin. These domains fit the deeper crustal domains highlighted by previous geophysical data. Post‐break‐up sedimentary markers may therefore be used to identify the initial hinge lines of the rifting phase and the subsidence laws.     

基于钻孔数据的地层三维建模与可视化研究

地质体三维建模是地学信息系统核心课题之一,对现有建模方法进行分析,结合地层特点,提出首先引入虚拟钻孔,利用Kriging插值方法建立地层三维模型;其次把虚拟钻孔参数的调试结果及专家知识等资料在建模流程中予以充分体现,从而建立相对精确的三维地层模型;最后基于本文建模方法开发了一个三维地层模型,并用实际资料进行了验证,能有效满足工程需求。     

A three-dimensional hydrogeological–geophysical model of a multi-layered aquifer in the coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (southern Italy)

The coastal alluvial plain of Sarno River (Campania Region, southern Italy) is a very rich environment that has experienced a long history of changes due to both natural phenomena such as eustatic sea-level variations and deposition of volcanoclastic sediments, and human civilizations who populated this area since historical times. As a result, it is characterized by complex stratigraphic sequences and groundwater flow systems. The architecture of the multi-layered aquifer system in a sample area, located in a densely urbanized sector at the mouth of Sarno River, was reconstructed. Starting from the analysis of stratigraphic log data and laboratory geotechnical measurements, the lithostratigraphical-unit sequence was retrieved and a realistic three-dimensional (3D) model of the hydrogeological heterogeneity was obtained. The results of a detailed 2D electrical resistivity tomography survey were used to support the analysis of the spatial heterogeneity of the aquifer system in a sector characterized by lack of log data. The integration of hydrogeological and geophysical data allowed for the reconstruction of a 3D hydrogeophysical model of the multi-layered system, which electrically characterizes and geometrically identifies two aquifers. Finally, piezometric-level measurements validated the hydrogeological–geophysical model and showed the effectiveness of the methodology.     

北京平原地区第四纪地质研究新进展

北京平原地处山前冲洪积扇分布区,区内湖泊密布,河流纵横,沉积环境多样。由于第四系三维结构的复杂性,对第四系进行地层划分有一定的难度。前人根据不同的资料对北京平原第四系进行过地层划分,建立了泥河湾组、周口店组、马兰组等多个岩石地层单位。这些地层单位主要是依据沉积凹陷钻孔岩心中的孢粉、有孔虫、介形虫等化石和少量的古地磁数据划分的,实际上仍是年代地层单位。由于这些地层单位划分依据不统一,识别标志不清晰,因此难以得到广泛的共识。近十余年来,随着资料的积累和对第四系三维结构的认识提高,特别是古地磁测年技术的普及,为北京平原第四纪地层的划分奠定了基础。本文依据40余个钻孔的古地磁测试数据,初步厘定了下更新统底界、中更新统底界、上更新统底界3个等时面。依据工程地质勘察、水文地质钻孔、考古发掘和泥炭调查等资料编绘了平原区全新统等厚度图。     

城市级三维地质建模的统一地层序列方法

三维地质建模是“智慧城市”建设的基础内容之一,涉及数百平方公里到数千平方公里的城市级地质范围。由于城市级地质范围跨越地质单元多、地质情况复杂,传统的三维地质建模方法对跨地质单元的地层连线考虑不足,常导致不同地质单元间的地层连线出现错误。针对该问题,提出一种基于地层沉积顺序的统一地层序列方法,进而识别钻孔分层中的缺失和倒转情况,将同一岩性中倒转与正常的情况加以区分,避免建模时的错误连线或插值。通过添加0厚度层,使所有钻孔的地层序列可完全一致,构建各钻孔分层间的对应关系,以降低不同地质单元间的地层连线错误率。通过讨论地层缺失、倒转、重复等特殊情况和实例验证,研究结果能够有效地对城市级三维建模中各种地质情况的连线问题做出明确的判断,减少在跨越地质单元多、地质情况复杂的城市级三维地质建模中的地层连线错误,为“智慧城市”建设提供底层支撑。     

基于倾斜摄影地表模型的三维地质填图软件关键技术与应用前景

讨论了基于倾斜摄影测量所构建的三维地表模型进行三维地质填图与三维地质建模软件的设计理念、开发环境、软件架构、关键技术、实现现状与应用前景。倾斜摄影影像经处理建模后构建的三维地表模型通常以OSGB格式保存,因此基于倾斜摄影成果的三维地质填图软件最好基于能直接读取、显示OSGB格式数据的OSG开源库,推荐VS2015+QT+OSG开发环境。该类软件的关键技术包括以Proj4为核心的坐标转换系统、地层界线的拾取与半自动追踪技术、基于反距离衰减函数的地层界面防穿透高程调节技术、切制地质剖面并由剖面修改地层界面的二三维联动编辑与修改地层界面的技术、在露头剖面上采集地层界线构建露头地层柱状图的技术。该软件的应用前景包括野外区域地质调查、煤田和油田等行业的野外地质填图,以及滑坡和泥石流崩塌等地质灾害危险区域的圈定。     

火山地层中的沉积层特征及其地层对比意义:以松辽盆地营城组为例

火山地层常具穿时和倒转现象,并且缺少化石资料,致使其地层序列划分和对比困难.营城组火山地层序列是松辽盆地火山岩油气勘探的基础和关键,火山岩中的厚层沉积夹层（营城组二段）在火山地层序列划分中可作为标志层,是营城组进一步分段的关键层位.从盆缘露头剖面入手,根据实测剖面、钻井、测井、地震、同位素年龄等资料,证实徐家围子断陷存在营二段地层,通过地层对比,总结其地层发育时限、岩性及序列特征、地层分布规律及其成因、地球物理识别标志,并将其作为标志层对火山地层进行准确划分和对比.结果显示:营二段形成于早白垩世Albian期（110~108 Ma）,沉积时限2~3 Ma;以富含凝灰质夹煤层为主要特征,其碎屑粒度自下至上呈现"粗-细-粗"的全韵律;断陷内营二段地层厚度变化大,平面上存在着两类沉积中心:（1）与营一段火山岩最大厚度中心重叠的火山期后热沉降中心;（2）继承性古地貌凹陷.不同成因地层其地球物理识别特征不同.以营二段为标志层可将徐家围子断陷营城组分为3段,其中一段和三段均以火山岩为主.而原分层中的营四段实属盆地不同充填期的两套地层:下部细粒砂泥岩段应为断陷期的营二段,上部粗粒砂砾岩段应为拗陷期的登娄库组一段.该方法可为其他地区火山地层划分与对比提供借鉴.      

Three-dimensional hydrostratigraphical modelling to support evaluation of recharge and saltwater intrusion in a coastal groundwater system in Vietnam

Saltwater intrusion is generally related to seawater-level rise or induced intrusion due to excessive groundwater extraction in coastal aquifers. However, the hydrogeological heterogeneity of the subsurface plays an important role in (non-)intrusion as well. Local hydrogeological conditions for recharge and saltwater intrusion are studied in a coastal groundwater system in Vietnam where geological formations exhibit highly heterogeneous lithologies. A three-dimensional (3D) hydrostratigraphical solid model of the study area is constructed by way of a recursive classification procedure. The procedure includes a cluster analysis which uses as parameters geological formation, lithological composition, distribution depth and thickness of each lithologically distinctive drilling interval of 47 boreholes, to distinguish and map well-log intervals of similar lithological properties in different geological formations. A 3D hydrostratigraphical fence diagram is then generated from the constructed solid model and is used as a tool to evaluate recharge paths and saltwater intrusion to the groundwater system. Groundwater level and chemistry, and geophysical direct current (DC) resistivity measurements, are used to support the hydrostratigraphical model. Results of this research contribute to the explanation of why the aquifer system of the study area is almost uninfluenced by saltwater intrusion, which is otherwise relatively common in coastal aquifers of Vietnam.