Review: Carbonate aquifers and future perspectives of karst hydrogeology in India

About 3 % of India’s total land surface is occupied by carbonate rocks which are mostly karstified and constitute a significant source of groundwater. The groundwater drawn from these aquifers matches the water demand of ~35 million people living in 106 districts of the country and also the water needs of livestock, irrigation and industry. The studies on karst in India carried out so far have mostly addressed geology, hydrology and groundwater contamination. A literature survey suggests that there is a need for detailed research, applying new approaches and techniques for proper carbonate aquifer identification, characterization and management. Such specific approaches will improve modeling, exploitation and protection of karst groundwater. An overview of the research carried out on groundwater resources of karst formations in India is presented, which also throws light on the protection of karst aquifers from existing anthropogenic activities such as mining and groundwater over-exploitation.     

Residence times of shallow groundwater in West Africa: implications for hydrogeology and resilience to future changes in climate

Although shallow groundwater (<50 mbgl) sustains the vast majority of improved drinking-water supplies in rural Africa, there is little information on how resilient this resource may be to future changes in climate. This study presents results of a groundwater survey using stable isotopes, CFCs, SF₆, and ³H across different climatic zones (annual rainfall 400–2,000 mm/year) in West Africa. The purpose was to quantify the residence times of shallow groundwaters in sedimentary and basement aquifers, and investigate the relationship between groundwater resources and climate. Stable-isotope results indicate that most shallow groundwaters are recharged rapidly following rainfall, showing little evidence of evaporation prior to recharge. Chloride mass-balance results indicate that within the arid areas (<400 mm annual rainfall) there is recharge of up to 20 mm/year. Age tracers show that most groundwaters have mean residence times (MRTs) of 32–65 years, with comparable MRTs in the different climate zones. Similar MRTs measured in both the sedimentary and basement aquifers suggest similar hydraulic diffusivity and significant groundwater storage within the shallow basement. This suggests there is considerable resilience to short-term inter-annual variation in rainfall and recharge, and rural groundwater resources are likely to sustain diffuse, low volume abstraction.     

花梨隧道岩溶水文地质条件及危险性评估

花梨隧道是瓮开高速的控制性工程,其地质构造及岩溶水文地质条件较为复杂。采取现场地质调查、钻探、测量、室内岩土物理力学指标试验、电法物探等综合勘察手段,分析花梨隧道含水层岩性组合特征、可溶岩体系分布特征及岩溶水系统性,查清了其岩溶水文地质条件,并对涌突水危险性进行了分级评价。结果表明:（1）花梨隧道地表出露的可溶岩与非可溶岩,分为泥质粉砂岩组成的非可溶岩与灰岩组成的可溶岩两个体系;（2）花梨隧道预测正常涌水量为32 126.4 m3·d-1,隧道最大涌水量应按预测涌水量的2~6倍考虑;（3）花梨隧道可溶岩段内岩溶涌突水危险性总体为中等危险,其中极高危险段占总长度的16%。      

Geology and hydrogeology of the Dammam Formation in Kuwait

 The Dammam Formation of Middle Eocene age is one of the major aquifers containing useable brackish water in Kuwait. Apart from the paleokarst zone at the top, the Dammam Formation in Kuwait consists of 150–200 m of dolomitized limestone that is subdivided into three members, on the basis of lithology and biofacies. The upper member consists of friable chalky dolomicrite and dolomite. The middle member is mainly laminated biomicrite and biodolomicrite. The lower member is nummulitic limestone with interlayered shale toward the base. Geophysical markers conform to these subdivisions. Core analyses indicate that the upper member is the most porous and permeable of the three units, as confirmed by the distribution of lost-circulation zones. The quality of water in the aquifer deteriorates toward the north and east. A potentiometric-head difference exists between the Dammam Formation and the unconformably overlying Kuwait Group; this difference is maintained by the presence of an intervening aquitard. Received, February 1997 Revised, June 1997, September 1997 Accepted, January 1998     

现代水文地质学的演变与发展

在概括水文地质学发展过程的基础上,指出水文地质学,从传统水文地质学,走向现代水文地质学,取得的重大进步。并提出了现代水文地质学的特征及其研究内容和发展方向。     

煤矿(床)水文地质学的研究现状及展望

煤矿(床)水文地质学是研究煤炭资源开发过程中地下水活动规律以及为防止其对采煤工程的不利影响,保护矿区生态环境的一门应用性地质学科,对煤矿安全生产工作具有重要的推动作用。近年来,在保水采煤技术、华北型煤田防治水技术体系、陷落柱发育规律及其治理技术、煤层底板含水层注浆改造保障技术等方面取得了重要进展。随着煤炭开采强度和开采规模的进一步扩大,学科发展面临着诸如老空水及陷落柱探测、矿坑充水条件变化、矿井水患实时评价及治理等重大问题。提出了在学科发展中应优先解决诸如“三高”(高地压、高地温、高水压)地质条件下煤矿突水机理、西部地区煤炭资源开发过程中突水溃砂机理、水资源承载力及其调蓄技术、矿井水资源化及其合理利用研究以及综放开采条件下冒裂带发育规律研究等科学问题。     

Percolation in the Crust

Considering the Earth's Crust as a heterogeneous medium, we show here that the general features of the seismic, electrical, and mechanical properties of the Crust can be conveniently described with a unified model derived from percolation theory. The basic assumption is that fracture density is a variable parameter which decreases with depth and as a result there exists a critical threshold below which fractures are only connected within finite clusters. This threshold corresponds to a critical fracture density and to a critical depth. Fluids circulate through a connected network of fractures down to the critical depth Z_c. Below Z_c, anisotropic fracture clusters result in seismic reflectors and high electrical conductivity. Earthquakes are restricted to depths shallower than Z_c, where friction controls the mechanical resistance to fluid infiltrated pre-existing fractures.     

Reference of pressures in hydrogeology

This paper deals with the complex interrelations of regional tilt of the pressure surface, water temperature, density gas saturation, and pressures in determining the direction and rate of flow of water in different hydrologic depth zones. The various ideas of other Soviet authors are analyzed and evaluated. The author points out that the inequality method should not be used to test for flow in or between strata if the heights of reference points are similar or if the density is especially important in understanding long - time movements of occluded water in the so-called ”stagnation zone.“ — B.N. Cooper.     

试论水文地质纲要图的涵意

随着按图幅开展的1:5万水文地质调查工作的推进,水文地质图的编制愈显重要。如何编制易读、准确的水文地质图是摆在水文地质工作者面前的一个课题。通过多年探索,笔者针对基岩山区提出了水文地质纲要图的概念与内涵,并在沂蒙山区1:5万水文地质图编制中进行了尝试和探索。结果表明,以地下水系统为对象的区域性水文地质纲要图作为水文地质图的镶图,可使读者从地下水系统角度掌握区域水文地质条件及地下水运动规律,并且有助于图幅内容的理解。     

水文地质和环境地质的发展趋势

在新世纪到来之前,水文地质和环境地质面临新的机遇和挑战,第３０届国际地质大地论文中文汇编介绍了可供借鉴的系统经验,国土资源强经管理为水文地质的环境地质勘察研究成果的直接应用提供了场所。本文作者根据国内外的新形势,强调论述城市地质和地质生态等问题研究的重要性。     

Artificial recharge of groundwater: hydrogeology and engineering

Artificial recharge of groundwater is achieved by putting surface water in basins, furrows, ditches, or other facilities where it infiltrates into the soil and moves downward to recharge aquifers. Artificial recharge is increasingly used for short- or long-term underground storage, where it has several advantages over surface storage, and in water reuse. Artificial recharge requires permeable surface soils. Where these are not available, trenches or shafts in the unsaturated zone can be used, or water can be directly injected into aquifers through wells. To design a system for artificial recharge of groundwater, infiltration rates of the soil must be determined and the unsaturated zone between land surface and the aquifer must be checked for adequate permeability and absence of polluted areas. The aquifer should be sufficiently transmissive to avoid excessive buildup of groundwater mounds. Knowledge of these conditions requires field investigations and, if no fatal flaws are detected, test basins to predict system performance. Water-quality issues must be evaluated, especially with respect to formation of clogging layers on basin bottoms or other infiltration surfaces, and to geochemical reactions in the aquifer. Clogging layers are managed by desilting or other pretreatment of the water, and by remedial techniques in the infiltration system, such as drying, scraping, disking, ripping, or other tillage. Recharge wells should be pumped periodically to backwash clogging layers. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer LINK server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10040-001-0182-4. Electronic Publication     

水文地质及灾害地质监测新仪器介绍

本文介绍了地下水监测和滑坡监测的两种新型仪器。ＷＬＴ－１０２０地下水动态监测仪器的突出特点是高分辨率、长期稳定、微功耗、全自动工作。ＨＹＪ－３００８滑坡诱发因素监测仪通过监测滑体内的水分变化来预测预报暴雨滑坡。