The Dammam aquifer in Bahrain – Hydrochemical characterization and alternatives for management of groundwater quality

 Over-abstraction of the Dammam aquifer, the principal aquifer in Bahrain, by the agricultural and domestic sectors, has led to its salinization by adjacent brackish and saline water bodies. A hydrochemical study identified the locations of the sources of aquifer salinization and delineated their areas of influence. The investigation indicates that the aquifer water quality is significantly modified as groundwater flows from the northwestern parts of Bahrain, where the aquifer receives its water by lateral underflow from eastern Saudi Arabia, to the southern and southeastern parts. Four types of salinization of the aquifer are identified: brackish-water up-flow from the underlying brackish-water zones in north-central, western, and eastern regions; seawater intrusion in the eastern region; intrusion of sabkha water in the southwestern region; and irrigation return flow in a local area in the western region. Four alternatives for the management of groundwater quality that are available to the water authorities in Bahrain are discussed and their priority areas are proposed, based on the type and extent of each salinization source, in addition to groundwater use in that area. The effectiveness of the proposed management options in controlling the degradation of water quality in the Dammam aquifer should be evaluated using simulation modeling. Received: June 1998 Revised: November 1998 Accepted: December 1998     

Groundwater as a geologic agent: An overview of the causes, processes, and manifestations

 The objective of the present paper is to show that groundwater is a general geologic agent. This perception could not, and did not, evolve until the system nature of basinal groundwater flow and its properties, geometries, and controlling factors became recognized and understood through the 1960s and 1970s. The two fundamental causes for groundwater's active role in nature are its ability to interact with the ambient environment and the systematized spatial distribution of its flow. Interaction and flow occur simultaneously at all scales of space and time, although at correspondingly varying rates and intensities. Thus, effects of groundwater flow are created from the land surface to the greatest depths of the porous parts of the Earth's crust, and from a day's length through geologic times. Three main types of interaction between groundwater and environment are identified in this paper, with several special processes for each one, namely: (1) Chemical interaction, with processes of dissolution, hydration, hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction, attack by acids, chemical precipitation, base exchange, sulfate reduction, concentration, and ultrafiltration or osmosis; (2) Physical interaction, with processes of lubrication and pore-pressure modification; and (3) Kinetic interaction, with the transport processes of water, aqueous and nonaqueous matter, and heat. Owing to the transporting ability and spatial patterns of basinal flow, the effects of interaction are cumulative and distributed according to the geometries of the flow systems. The number and diversity of natural phenomena that are generated by groundwater flow are almost unlimited, due to the fact that the relatively few basic types are modified by some or all of the three components of the hydrogeologic environment: topography, geology, and climate. The six basic groups into which manifestations of groundwater flow have been divided are: (1) Hydrology and hydraulics; (2) Chemistry and mineralogy; (3) Vegetation; (4) Soil and rock mechanics; (5) Geomorphology; and (6) Transport and accumulation. Based on such a diversity of effects and manifestations, it is concluded that groundwater is a general geologic agent. Received, December 1998 · Revised, January 1999 · Accepted, January 1999     

Hydrochemical and isotopic properties of the Mahmutlu and Bağdatoğlu mineralized thermal springs, Kırşehir, Turkey

The present study identifies the hydrochemical and isotopic properties of the Mahmutlu and Ba?dato?lu mineralized thermal springs in K?r?ehir province, a geothermal field in central Anatolia, Turkey. Based on these properties, a hydrogeological regime is proposed in order to explain the Mahmutlu–Ba?dato?lu geothermal system. The relation between the concentrations of the environmental stable isotopes deuterium and oxygen-18 in the water is similar to the relationship in global meteoric water, indicating that the water is of meteoric origin. Evaluation of the geochemical characteristics of the water reveals that these two thermal springs belong to the same hydrogeological system. The hydrogeological system comprises a fractured limestone member of the Çevirme Formation and the Kervansaray Formation as reservoir rocks, and the Delice?rmak Formation as an overlying aquitard. The waters of the Mahmutlu and Ba?dato?lu springs are mainly of the Na-Cl-SO4 type that originate from the Pohrenk evaporite. The thermal waters are undersaturated with respect to calcite, dolomite, halite, and gypsum. The δ 18O and δ 2H contents indicate a δ 18O shift in the Mahmutlu and Ba?dato?lu waters. The temperature range of the two reservoirs is estimated to be 98–158?°C, on the basis of Na+K+Ca and SiO2 geothermometers.     

Determining concentration fields of tracer plumes for layered porous media in flow-tank experiments

 In the laboratory, computer-assisted image analysis provides an accurate and efficient way to monitor tracer experiments. This paper describes the determination of detailed temporal concentration distributions of tracers in a flow-tank experiment by analyzing photographs of plumes of Rhodamine dye through the glass wall of the tank. The methodology developed for this purpose consists of four steps: (1) digitally scanning black and white negatives obtained from photographs of the flow–tank experiment; (2) calibrating and normalizing each digitized image to a standard optical-density scale by determining the relation between the optical density and pixel value for each image; (3) constructing standard curves relating the concentration in an optical density from five experimental runs with predetermined concentrations (2–97 mg/L); and (4) converting the optical density to concentration. The spatial distribution of concentration for two photographs was determined by applying these calibration and conversion procedures to all pixels of the digitized images. This approach provides an efficient way to study patterns of plume evolution and transport mechanisms. Received, March 1998 Revised, September 1998 Accepted, October 1998     

山东地区水化学短临跟踪标志体系的研究

在系统整理山东地区水化学观测资料的基础上,对山东菏泽５．９级地震、苍山５．２级地震及大同６．１级地震和南黄海５．３级地震前的地震异常特征进行了分析和总结。认为水化学多组分的同步异常变化,同震源应力场孕育过程,多组分的同步异常变化,具有统一的物理力学机制,是震前源兆异常的重要标志,这些异常基本同步出现,相互印证,增强了异常的可信度,为短临异常的判定提供了较为充分的依据。某一井孔水化学多发出现同步异常     

Using principal component analysis in the investigation of groundwater hydrochemistry of Upper Jezireh Basin,Syria

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to hydrochemical and isotopic data of 34 groundwater samples. This allowed the reduction of 20 variables to four significant PCs that explain 81.9% of the total variance; F1 (47.1%) explains the groundwater mineralization, whereas F2 (17%) shows isotopic enrichment and nitrate pollution. Based on an iso-factor scores map of F1, three water zones were delineated: Zone A (F1 < ?1), with fresh groundwater from the unconfined aquifer; Zone B (1 > F1 > ?1), with moderate mineralization from the confined–unconfined aquifer boundary; and Zone C (F1 > 1), with the most mineralized hot water from the confined aquifer. The iso-factor scores map of F2 delineates positive values representing samples from the unconfined aquifer, with freshwater and nitrate contamination associated with stable isotope enrichment, whereas negative values represent samples from the confined aquifer. The results clearly demonstrate the usefulness of PCA in groundwater hydrochemistry investigations.     

基于水化学及稳定同位素的西藏察雅地下热水成因研究

西藏察雅分布有两处地下热水,其中娘曲热水流量达23 356 m ³/d,温度达36 ℃,掌握其成因以及地下水循环模式对铁路隧道的规划建设具有重要意义。为查明地下热水水化学特征及其成因模式,采用同位素水文地球化学方法进行研究。结果表明:两处地下热水主要阳离子为Ca ²⁺和Mg ²⁺,主要阴离子为SO₄^2-和HCO₃^-,溶解性总固体含量为1 255~2 051 mg/L,水化学类型分别为SO₄·HCO₃-Ca·Mg型和SO₄-Ca·Mg型。氢氧同位素分析结果表明,地下热水补给来源主要为大气降水,并具有 ¹⁸O漂移现象,反映了热水与围岩的氧同位素交换效应。地下热水的补给高程为4 146~4 185 m,热储温度为53.1~61.0 ℃,循环深度为1 409~2 020 m。其成因模式为:地下水在东北部高山区接收大气降水入渗补给,沿岩溶裂隙管道径流,经深循环获得大地热流加热,受构造及岩层阻水影响沿断层上升,在上升过程中与份额达0.79~0.91的浅层地下水混合,于沟谷等地势切割处出露成泉。综合水文地质条件与隧道位置分析,隧道穿越的两处岩溶富水条带,东部岩溶富水区对隧道突涌水威胁较小;西部岩溶富水区对隧道存在构造岩溶水高压突涌水风险,后期应注意防范。     

胶东半岛洪水岚汤温泉水化学特征与成因分析

胶东半岛蕴藏着丰富的低温地热资源,以温泉为主要出露方式。洪水岚汤温泉位于胶东半岛东部威海市境内,出露在阳泉河北岸的一级阶地,出露标高为66. 83 m,水温约69℃,下伏基岩为侏罗纪二长花岗岩。为查明其水化学特征及成因,本文采用同位素水文地球化学方法进行研究。水化学成分表明:温泉水中主要阳离子为Na~+,主要阴离子为HCO_3~-、SO_4~(2-),水化学类型为HCO_3·SO_4~-Na,pH值为7. 6,总溶解性固体为610. 6 mg/L,F~-含量为4. 2 mg/L,偏硅酸含量为98. 8 mg/L。氢、氧同位素分析结果显示:温泉热水补给来源为大气降水,估算温泉热水补给高程为427～599 m,地下热储温度约为106. 25℃,地下热水循环深度约为2091 m。综合分析洪水岚汤温泉成因模式为:在正棋山山区获得大气降水入渗补给后,沿F1断裂破碎带下渗经历深循环获得大地热流加热后上升,上升过程中混入浅层地下水,在第四系静水压力最小的部位出露成泉。     

贵州苗匡热矿水地热区水化学特征及热储条件分析

贵州苗匡热矿水地热区大地构造位于江南复合造山黔南坳陷铜仁复式褶皱变形带,区域构造为红石古断裂带与苗匡断裂交汇锐角区,区内出露的地层有前南华系板溪群、南华系、震旦系、寒武系;热矿水水化学类型为HCO_3-Na型,含高氟、锶、锂、偏硅酸;弱碱性水;呈带状中低温热储;区域大地热流供给热量;地下热矿水补给为构造破碎带深远程补给;区域性红石活动断裂带具有导热导水储水性,热矿水被温差、压力差等驱动循环运移至断裂破碎带富集,苗匡次级断裂带在该热储起到连通传导作用;热矿水井口温度45℃,出水量560 m~3/d。研究结果可对该区热矿水勘查开发及利用提供参考和借鉴。     

四川省盐源县盐泉的特征与形成

研究天然盐泉的形成有助于揭示陆地水文循环过程中的物质迁移。采用水文地球化学的方法,分析四川省盐源县的9个泉水和卤水水样的水化学特征和同位素特征,探讨盐泉的溶质来源,总结盐泉的成因模式。水样可以分为TDS为311.69 g/L的Cl-Na型卤水、TDS为55.77~89.43 g/L的Cl-Na型盐泉、TDS为1.17 g/L的Cl-Na型微咸泉和TDS为0.26~0.56 g/L的以HCO₃-Ca、HCO₃·SO₄-Ca·Mg型为主的淡水泉。泉水和卤水的氢氧同位素显示其来源于大气降水;水样的特征系数显示盐泉和卤水都属于溶滤型,且指示研究区基本不具有找钾前景。泉水的盐分主要来源于石盐、方解石、石膏和白云石等矿物的溶滤。盐泉的形成模式可以概括为:在山区获得大气降水入渗补给后,地下水经历较浅和较深的地下径流并且溶滤含盐地层或者盐矿,使其矿化度升高,在地形较低处汇集出露地表成泉。