Three-Dimensional Numerical Investigation of Pore Water Pressure and Deformation of Pumped Aquifer Systems

Excessive groundwater withdrawal has caused severe land subsidence worldwide. The pore water pressure and the deformation of pumped hydrostratigraphic units are complex. A fully coupled three-dimensional numerical simulation was carried out for different pumping plans in this paper. When groundwater is pumped from a confined aquifer, the great compaction occurs in the pumped aquifer and its upper and lower adjacent aquitard units. Land subsidence is smaller and the area affected by land subsidence is greater when groundwater is pumped from the deeper confined aquifer. The pore water pressure in the pumped confined aquifer changes immediately with pumpage. In the adjacent aquitard units, however, the pore water pressure increases in the early pumping time and decreases in the early recharging time. The decrease in the pore water pressure vertically spreads from the interface between aquitard and pumped aquifer to the other surface of the aquitard. The pumped aquifer compacts and rebounds immediately with pumping and non-pumping or recharging actions, while the compaction and rebounding of the aquitard units clearly lag behind. The compaction of the adjacent aquitard unit first occurs near the interface between aquitard and pumped aquifer units, and the compaction zone spreads outward as the pumping goes on. The aquitards may expand vertically within some zones. Due to the inelastic deformation of soil skeleton, different pumping plans result in different land subsidence. For the same net pumpage, maximal land subsidence and horizontal displacement are the smallest for constant discharge and the greatest for recharge-discharge cycle.     

中国海域残留盆地油气勘探潜力分析

中国海包括专属经济区和大陆架约为300万平方公里.海域是我国油气资源可持续发展战略中重要组成部分，而其中残留盆地则是“油气二次创业”的主战场.本文从三个角度分析了中国海域的勘探潜力：1）巨大的勘探空间；海域大，新生代盆地及其前新生代残留盆地勘探面积巨大；2）巨大的技术空间，勘探程度及勘探技术水平均明显低于陆上油气区勘探水平；3）巨大的资源空间，海域具有优越的石油地质条件，不但有新生代成油气体系而且有前新生代含油气系统.有21亿吨以上有待发现的资源量.这表明，中国海域具有资源上的巨大潜力有待发掘，勘探前景极为广阔.     

Leakage properties of the multi-aquifer system underlying the Greater Onitsha water scheme borehole field,Anambra State,Nigeria

Abstract

Leakage properties and the potential for land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal from a multi-aquifer water supply system were investigated by applying leaky type curve and one dimensional consolidation models to drawdown data that were obtained during a pumping test experiment in an aquifer-aquitard system. The producing aquifer has transmissivity and storativity values of 5.3 × 10^?3 m² s^?1 and 9.54 × 10^?4 respectively. It is recharged through leakage at a rate of 5.67 × 10^?8 m s^?1, giving a leakage amount of more than 0.007 m³ s^?1. Drainage of the aquifer-aquitard system could result in aquitard compaction of between 50 and 180 mm year^?1 for pumping periods of 6 and 22 h day^?1, respectively. The observed leakage has important implications for land subsidence problems and waste disposal practices in the area.     

Patterns and Rates of Ground-Water Flow on Long Island, New York

Increased ground-water contamination from human activities on Long Island has prompted studies to define the pattern and rate of ground-water movement. A two-dimensional, fine-mesh, finite-element model consisting of 11,969 nodes and 22,880 elements was constructed to represent ground-water flow along a north-south section through central Long Island. The model represents average hydrologic conditions within a corridor approximately 15 miles wide. The model solves discrete approximations of both the potential and stream functions. The resulting flownet depicts flow paths and defines the vertical distribution of flow within the section. Ground-water flow rates decrease with depth. Sixty-two percent of the water flows no deeper than the upper glacial (water-table) aquifer, 38 percent enters the underlying Magothy aquifer, and only 3.1 percent enters the Lloyd aquifer. The limiting streamlines for flow to the Magothy and Lloyd aquifers indicate that aquifer recharge areas are narrow east-west bands through the center of the island. The recharge area of the Magothy aquifer is only 5.4 miles wide; that of the Lloyd aquifer is less than 0.5 miles. The distribution of ground-water traveltime and a flownet are calculated from model results; both are useful in the investigation of contaminant transport or the chemical evolution of ground water within the flow system. A major discontinuity in traveltime occurs across the streamline which separates the flow subsystems of the two confined aquifers. Water that reaches the Lloyd aquifer attains traveltimes as high as 10,000 years, whereas water that has not penetrated deeper than the Magothy aquifer attains traveltimes of only 2,000 years. The finite-element approach used in this study is particularly suited to ground-water systems that have complex hydrostratigraphy and cross-sectional symmetry.     

Land uplift due to subsurface fluid injection

The subsurface injection of fluid (water, gas, vapour) occurs worldwide for a variety of purposes, e.g. to enhance oil production (EOR), store gas in depleted gas/oil fields, recharge overdrafted aquifer systems (ASR), and mitigate anthropogenic land subsidence. Irrespective of the injection target, some areas have experienced an observed land uplift ranging from a few millimetres to tens of centimetres over a time period of a few months to several years depending on the quantity and spatial distribution of the fluid used, pore pressure increase, geological setting (depth, thickness, and area extent), and hydro-geomechanical properties of the injected formation. The present paper reviews the fundamental geomechanical processes that govern land upheaval due to fluid injection in the subsurface and presents a survey of some interesting examples of anthropogenic uplift measured in the past by the traditional levelling technique and in recent times with the aid of satellite technology. The examples addressed include Long Beach, Santa Clara Valley, and Santa Ana basin, California; Las Vegas Valley, Nevada; Cold Lake and other similar sites, Canada; Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; Krechba, Algeria; Upper Palatinate, Germany; Chioggia and Ravenna, Italy.     

Surface flow boundary conditions in modeling land subsidence due to fluid withdrawal

Land subsidence due to subsurface fluid (water, gas, oil) withdrawal is often predicted by either finite element or finite difference numerical models based on coupled poroelastic theory, where the soil is represented as a semi-infinite medium bounded by the traction-free (ground) surface. One of the variables playing a most important role on the final outcome is the flow condition used on the traction-free boundary, which may be assumed as either permeable or impermeable. Although occasionally justified, the assumption of no-flow surface seems to be in general rather unrealistic. A permeable boundary where the fluid pressure is fixed to the external atmospheric pressure appears to be more appropriate. This paper addresses the response, in terms of land subsidence, obtained with a coupled poroelastic finite element model that simulates a distributed pumping from a horizontal aquifer confined between two relatively impervious layers, and takes either a permeable boundary surface, i.e., constant hydraulic potential, or an impermeable boundary, i.e., a zero Neumann flow condition. The analysis reveals that land subsidence is rather sensitive to the flow condition implemented on the traction-free boundary. In general, the no-flow condition leads to an overestimate of the predicted ground surface settlement, which could even be 1 order of magnitude larger than that obtained with the permeable boundary.     

Multiple-aquifer characterization from single borehole extensometer records

Measurement and analysis of aquifer-system compaction have been used to characterize aquifer and confining unit properties when other techniques such as flow modeling have been ineffective at adequately quantifying storage properties or matching historical water levels in environments experiencing land subsidence. In the southeastern coastal plain of Virginia, high-sensitivity borehole pipe extensometers were used to measure 24.2 mm of total compaction at Franklin from 1979 through 1995 (1.5 mm/year) and 50.2 mm of total compaction at Suffolk from 1982 through 1995 (3.7 mm/year). Analysis of the extensometer data reveals that the small rates of aquifer-system compaction appear to be correlated with withdrawals of water from confined aquifers. One-dimensional vertical compaction modeling indicates measured compaction is the result of nonrecoverable hydrodynamic consolidation of the fine-grained confining units and interbeds, as well as recoverable compaction and expansion of coarse-grained aquifer units. The calibrated modeling results indicate that nonrecoverable specific storage values decrease with depth and range from 1.5 x 10(-5)/m for aquifer units to 1.5 x 10(-4)/m for confining units and interbeds. The aquifer and Potomac system recoverable specific storage values were all estimated to be 4.5 x 10(-6)/m, while the confining units and interbeds had values of 6.0 x 10(-6)/m. The calibrated vertical hydraulic conductivity values of the confining units and interbeds ranged from 6.6 x 10(-4) m/year to 2.0 x 10(-3) m/year. These parameter values will be useful in future management and modeling of ground water in the Virginia Coastal Plain.     

Simulating pumping-induced regional land subsidence with the use of InSAR and field data in the Toluca Valley, Mexico

A multidisciplinary approach is presented here for quantifying land subsidence in a heavily pumped aquifer system with complex stratigraphy. The methodology consists in incorporating Terzaghi’s 1D instantaneous compaction principle into a 3D groundwater flow model that is then applied and calibrated to reproduce observed hydraulic heads and compaction for the Toluca Valley, Mexico. Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR), a generated 3D-geological model, extensometers, monitoring wells, and available literature are used to constrain the model. The D-InSAR measured subsidence, extensometers, and numerical simulations of subsidence agree relatively well. Simulations show that since regional subsidence began in the mid 1960s there has been up to 2 m of subsidence in the industrial corridor, where heavy pumping and thick clay layers are found. This study shows that an approach using various sources of data is useful in estimating and constraining the vertical component of the inelastic skeletal specific storage.     

利用InSAR短基线技术估计洛杉矶地区的地表时序形变和含水层参数

美国南加州洛杉矶地区是自然和人为活动引起的地质构造活跃、石油及地下水抽取和回灌频繁的区域.本文利用19景ENVISAT ASAR降轨影像生成了71幅垂直基线小于300 m、时间间隔小于3年的解缠差分干涉图,并基于短基线集技术(SBAS),GPS和地下水水位数据估计了该区域2003年9月~2009年8月的地表时序形变及含水层贮水系数等物理参数.研究结果表明:(1)在InSAR干涉图中可以清楚的识别多处沉降明显的区域.例如,主要由于含水层地下水的抽取与回灌引起地表沉降的Pasadena盆地(~-2.5 cm/a)、San Gabriel流域(~-2 cm/a)、San Bernardino盆地(~-2.5 cm/a)、Pomona-Ontario盆地(~-4 cm/a)和Santa Ana盆地(~-2.5 cm/a),以及由石油抽取引起地面形变的Santa Fe Springs区域(~-1 cm/a)和Wilmington区域(~-1 cm/a)等;(2)InSAR时间序列形变与GPS投影在雷达视线方向上的形变结果具有较高的一致性,平均形变速率差异的均方差为0.39 cm/a;(3)InSAR时间序列形变与含水层地下水位的变化基本一致,并基于相关理论计算出了含水层的弹性贮水系数和非弹性贮水系数,分析了含水层的形变机理.     

Modeling a Large-Scale Historic Aquifer Test: Insight into the Hydrogeology of a Regional Fault Zone

Faults can act as flow barriers or conduits to groundwater flow by introducing heterogeneity in permeability. We examine the hydrogeology of the Sandwich Fault Zone, a 137 km long zone of high-angle faults in northern Illinois, using a large-scale historic aquifer test. The fault zone is poorly understood at depth due to the majority of the faults being buried by glacial deposits and its near-vertical orientation which limits geologic sampling across faults. The aquifer test—perhaps one of the largest in terms of overall withdrawal in North American history—was conducted in 1942 at a facility adjacent to the fault zone. More than 34,000 m³/day was pumped for 37 days from nine multiaquifer wells open to the stratified Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone aquifer system. We modeled the aquifer test using a transient MODFLOW-USG model and simulated pumping wells with the CLN package. We tested numerous fault core/damage zone conceptualizations and calibrated to drawdown values recorded at production and observation wells. Our analysis indicates that the fault zone is a low-permeability feature that inhibits lateral movement of groundwater and that there is at least an order of magnitude decrease in horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the fault core compared to the undeformed sandstone. Large head declines have occurred north of the fault zone (over 300 m since predevelopment conditions) and modifying fault zone parameters significantly affects calibration to regional drawdown on a decadal scale. The flow-barrier behavior of the fault zone has important implications for future groundwater availability in this highly stressed region.     

Characteristics of distribution and transport of petroleum contaminants in fracture-karst water in Zibo Area, Shandong Province, China

Fracture-karst water is an important water resource for the water supply in North China. Petroleum contamination is one of the most problematic types of the groundwater pollution. The characteristics of distribution and transport of the petroleum contaminants in fracture-karst water are different from those in porous water. The flow velocity of fracture-karst water is much faster than the velocity of porous water on an average. Therefore, contaminant transport in fracture-karst water is an absolute advection-dominated problem. The plume of the petroleum contamination may extend to several kilometers from pollution sources. It was not caused by the oil pool floating on the water table but by the oil components dissolved and scattered in groundwater. The distribution of the petroleum contaminants over space are concentrated in the strong conductive zone on the plane. On the vertical section the highest concentration of the oil contaminants appeared in the strata where the contamination sources were located. The concentrations of the oil contaminants in wells changed greatly over time. Therefore, the curves of concentration versus time fluctuated greatly. The reasons are as follows. (a) Fracture-karst water has a very great velocity. (b) Local flow fields which were caused by pumping and stoppage in some wells changed frequently. (c) In fracture-karst aquifer the transport channels are complicated. (d) Residual oil in vadose zone was leached after rainfall. It is of great practical value for the control and remediation of petroleum contamination in fracture-karst aquifer to understand those characteristics.     

京津高铁北京段地面沉降监测及结果分析

京津高铁是我国第一条高速运行的城际铁路,其安全运行对轨道变形有着严格的要求.京津高铁北京段经过平原区的沉降区域.地面沉降,尤其是不均匀地面沉降已经引起了部分地段路基和桥梁变形,威胁着高铁的运营安全.因此,需要高精度监测铁路路基和桥梁沉降,分析其原因,进而才能提出缓解沉降灾害的合理措施,保证京津高铁安全运行.本文采用时序干涉测量技术、水准测量技术和分层标监测、地下水分层监测手段相结合,对京津高铁北京段地面沉降进行监测,并利用监测结果分析其差异性沉降成因.结果表明:沿线区域地面沉降发展一定程度上受到来广营凸起、南苑—通县断裂和大兴隆起构造控制;地下水超采是区域地面沉降的主要驱动因素,同时第四系沉积环境、地层岩性和补给条件等共同作用,使得地面沉降发展在空间上存在一定差异性,可以分为微小沉降区(DK0-DK9段)、严重沉降区(DK9-DK27段)和一般沉降区(DK27-DK50);沿线区域地面沉降主要贡献层为中深部地层(50~147.5m),该层黏性土厚度较大,且主要呈现弹塑性形变,占总沉降量的76%左右,是未来地面沉降调控的主要层位.     

Contributions to a shallow aquifer study by reprocessed seismic sections from petroleum exploration surveys, eastern Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The US Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Drilling Company of Abu Dhabi, is conducting a 4-year study of the fresh and slightly saline groundwater resources of the eastern Abu Dhabi Emirate. Most of this water occurs in a shallow aquifer, generally less than 150 m deep, in the Al Ain area. A critical part of the Al Ain area coincides with a former petroleum concession area where about 2780 km of vibroseis data were collected along 94 seismic lines during 1981–1983. Field methods, acquistion parameters, and section processing were originally designed to enhance reflections expected at depths ranging from 5000 to 6000 m, and subsurface features directly associated with the shallow aquifer system were deleted from the original seismic sections. The original field tapes from the vibroseis survey were reprocessed in an attempt to extract shallow subsurface information (depths less than 550 m) for investigating the shallow aquifer.A unique sequence of reproccessing parameters was established after reviewing the results from many experimental tests. Many enhancements to the resolution of shallow seismic reflections resulted from: (1) application of a 20-Hz, low-cut filter; (2) recomputation of static corrections to a datum nearer the land surface; (3) intensive velocity analyses; and (4) near-trace muting analyses. The number, resolution, and lateral continuity of shallow reflections were greatly enhanced on the reprocessed sections, as was the delineation of shallow, major faults. Reflections on a synthetic seismogram, created from a borehole drilled to a depth of 786 m on seismic line IQS-11, matcheddprecisely with shallow reflections on the reprocessed section. The 33 reprocessed sections were instrumental in preparing a map showing the major structural features that affect the shallow aquifer system. Analysis of the map provides a better understanding of the effect of these shallow features on the regional occurrence, movement, and quality of groundwater in the concession area. Results from this study demonstrate that original seismic field tapes collected for deep petroleum exploration can be reprocessed to explore for groundwater.     

Sinkholes Due to Groundwater Withdrawal in Tazerbo Wellfield,SE Libya

The desert of eastern Libya forms one of the most arid regions of the Sahara. The Great Man‐Made River Project (GMRP) was established. It transports millions of cubic meters of water a day from desert wellfields to the coastal cities, where over 80% of the population lives. The Tazerbo Wellfield is one of the wellfields designed within the GMRP, delivering water to the eastern coast of Libya through an underground pipe network. Tazerbo Wellfield consists of 108 production wells; each well was designed to pump 100 L/s. The planned total groundwater withdrawal from all wells is 1 million m³/d. The deep sandstone aquifer (Nubian sandstone) is covered by a thick mudstone‐siltstone aquitard and is being heavily pumped. The aquifer and fine‐grained sediments of the aquitard may be compacted resulting in land subsidence as a result of high exploitation. Local sinkholes have developed in the area of Tazerbo since the start of the pumping from the wellfield in 2004. These sinkholes have been caused mainly by lowering of the piezometric heads due to the withdrawal of groundwater. In this study, a hydrogeological investigation is presented about the effect of large groundwater pumping from the Nubian sandstone aquifer in Tazerbo Wellfield, SE Libya, based on physical parameters for 108 production wells and 23 observation wells.     

Earth Fissures in Su–Xi–Chang Region,Jiangsu, China

The earth fissures in the Su-Xi-Chang area are caused by differential land subsidence due to long-term excessive groundwater withdrawal and controlled by the bedrock ridge or cliff underlying. There have been more than 15 earth fissures in the area since 1989. The field investigations have lasted for more than 20 years. The earth fissures generally have a main fissure and a number of secondary ones parallel to the main one. The main fissure (crack) has a scarp, is steeply dipping, and can be more than 2000 m long. Geophysical surveys (2D or 3D seismic investigation, controlled source audio frequency magnetotelluric sounding, and electric sounding) combined with geological drilling are effective for the investigation of earth fissures. Geodetic leveling is effective to monitor the ground deformation across the earth fissure, so is the extensometer for the opening of the fissure. The activities of earth fissures are directly related to different stages of land subsidence and controlled by geological abnormalities. Most earth fissures in the area are still active.     

Petroleum geological dynamics of Lower Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin, northwest China

Taking the hydrocarbon source rocks of Ordovician, Lower Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin as the main research object, the characteristics of petroleum geological dynamics about geohistory, geothermal history, hydrocarbon generation history and hydrocarbon expulsion history were studied by using the methods of basin numerical modeling dynamically and pool-forming dynamics. It is shown that the Ordovician strata had entirely undergone five stages of initial deposition, uplift and erosion, rapid subsidence, alternating uplift and subsidence, and differential uplift and erosion; that under the background of lower heat flow on the whole, the paleoheat flow of Ordovician strata in the basin could be divided into two large stages of relatively high heat flow values period before Cretaceous deposition and relatively low ones after it; that the thermal evolution of organic matters in the hydrocarbon source rocks of Ordovician had entered into high mature-postmature stage on the whole and the intensity of gas generated was greater than that of oil generated, the hydrocarbon being mainly natural gas; and that the curves of the intensity of oil and gas expulsion at each time unit showed the feature of multi-peak-type, the accumulative intensity of gas expulsion was greater than that of oil expulsion. Thus natural gas exploration potential is good.     

利用GPS与InSAR研究西安现今地面沉降与地裂缝时空演化特征

西安孕育严重的地面沉降及地裂缝灾害,严重制约着城市的现代化发展,本文采用GPS精密定位和InSAR遥感差分技术对西安地面沉降和地裂缝进行变形监测与分析,获取了西安地面沉降与地裂缝整体变形现状的珍贵信息,通过对这些变形信息的研究分析,揭示了西安现今地面沉降与地裂缝时空演化特征和机理：随着停止或限采地下水,西安地面沉降量级由20世纪90年代中期的最大年沉降速率20～30 cm/a减少到不足10 cm/a,且超过60%的沉降区域的年沉降速率已由90年代中期的5~8 cm/a减少到不足2 cm/a;原有的沉降中心大部分已不存在或大大减小;地裂缝在时空活动与分布上与地面沉降存在明显的关联性;地面沉降和地裂缝随着西安高新区的建设向南、西南、东南逐步扩展.     

Radiocarbon and δ13C Values Related to Ground-Water Recharge and Mixing

Ground-water levels in the Upper Floridan aquifer beneath the southeastern coast of South Carolina have undergone pumpage-induced declines approaching 20 ft below sea level at the southern end of Hilton Head Island. This scenario suggests the potential exists for the inducement of recharge to the Upper Floridan aquifer across the island, which could affect the quality of water being pumped by wells. However, low radiocarbon concentrations in ground-water samples (0.5 to 1.4 ± 0.1 PMC) indicate that most of the water is relict ground water reflecting prepumpage ground-water flow conditions in the Upper Floridan aquifer. The isotopic data indicate long residence times and water-chemistry evolution more characteristic of ground-water recharge occurring farther inland prior to the commencement of pumpage in the late 1800s. Radiocarbon concentrations (as Percent Modern Carbon) and stable carbon isotope ratios (as δ¹³C in dissolved inorganic carbon) determined during this study and reported in other studies on and around Hilton Head Island varied in a systematic manner. Heavier δ¹³C values (–2.8 to –1.6 per mil) in ground water beneath southern Hilton Head Island reflect ground-water discharge from prepumpage flowpaths originating over 100 miles away, hence a depletion in radiocarbon concentration with corrected ground-water ages no younger than 16,000 yrs BP. In contrast, lighter δ¹³C values (–13.9 to –8.67 per mil) beneath the northern part of the island indicate recent recharge as a result of water-level declines, and recharge in areas off the island that have not changed as a result of pumpage (evidenced by enrichment in radiocarbon with corrected ground-water ages no older than 4,000 yrs BP). This suggests that the δ¹³C composition of ground water in the Upper Floridan aquifer is a useful indicator of mixing between ground waters from different sources, and can be used to delineate recharge-discharge patterns. This approach may be applicable to other aquifers of highly evolved ground-water chemistry in regional carbonate aquifer systems that may be receiving recent recharge. Moreover, this approach could prove useful in delineating the contribution of recent water being captured by pumped wells as part of wellhead protection programs designed to assess aquifer vulnerability from surficial contaminant sources.     

Proximal stratigraphy and syn-eruptive faulting in rhyolitic Grants Ridge Tuff, New Mexico, USA

Proximal deposits of the 3.3 Ma Grants Ridge Tuff, part of a 5-km³ topaz rhyolite sequence, are composed of basal pyroclastic flow, surge, and fallout deposits, a thick central ignimbrite, and upper surge and fallout deposits. Large lithic blocks (≤2 m) of underlying sedimentary and granitic bedrock that are present in lower pyroclastic flow and fallout deposits indicate that the eruptive sequence began with explosive, conduit-excavating eruptions. The massive, nonwelded central ignimbrite displays evidence for postemplacement deformation. The upper pyroclastic surge deposits are dominated by fine ash, some beds containing accretionary lapilli, soft-sediment deformation features, and mud-coated lithic lapilli, indicating an explosive, hydromagmatic component to these later eruptions. The upper fall and surge deposits are overlain by fluvially reworked volcaniclastic deposits that truncate the primary section with a relatively planar surface. The proximal, upper pyroclastic surge and Plinian fall deposits are preserved only in small grabens (5–8 m deep and wide), where they subsided into the ignimbrite and were protected from reworking. The pyroclastic surge and fall deposits within the grabens are offset by numerous small normal faults. The offset on some faults decreases upward through the section, indicating that the faulting process may have been syn-eruptive. Several graben-bounding faults extend downward into the ignimbrite, but the uppermost, fluvially reworked tephra layers are not cut by these faults. The faulting mechanism may have been related to settling and compaction of the 60 m thick, valley-filling ignimbrite along the axis of the paleovalley. Draping surge contacts against the graben faults and brittle and soft-style disruption of the upper pyroclastic surge beds indicate that subsidence was ongoing during the emplacement of the upper eruptive sequence. Seismicity accompanying the late-stage hydromagmatic explosions may have contributed to the abrupt settling and compaction of the ignimbrite.