Hydrogeological and hydrochemical characterization of the Voltaian Basin: the Afram Plains area,Ghana |
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Authors: | Sandow Mark Yidana Duke Ophori Bruce Banoeng-Yakubo |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA;(2) Department of Geology, University of Ghana, Box LG 58, Legon, Accra, Ghana |
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Abstract: | In the Afram Plains area, groundwater is the main source of water supply for most uses. The area is underlain by aquifers
of the southern Voltaian sedimentary basin, which are predominantly sandstones, mudstones, conglomerates and shale. Ordinary
least squares regression analysis using 41 well-test data from aquifers in the Afram Plains portion of the Voltaian system
reveals that transmissivity, T, exists in a non-linear relationship with specific capacity, Sc. The analysis reveals that T = 0.769Sc1.075 with R
2 = 0.83 for aquifers in the area. The mudstone/conglomerate aquifer in the area appears to be the most variable in terms of
both specific capacity and transmissivity with transmissivity ranging from 0.18 to 197.7 m2/day and 0.5 and 148.5 m3/day/m, respectively. Horizontal fractures and joints resulting from secondary fracturing appear to be the main determinants
of both transmissivity and specific capacity in the area. PHREEQC modeling and mineral stability diagrams indicate that groundwater
quality in the Afram Plains area is controlled by the incongruent weathering of silicate minerals in the aquifers. These processes
concentrate calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, bicarbonate ion and quartz, leading to calcite, dolomite and aragonite
supersaturation at most locations. Hierarchical cluster analysis performed on the raw chemical data reveals two main water
types or facies: the calcium–sodium–chloride–bicarbonate facies, and the magnesium–potassium–sulfate–nitrate facies for the
southern and northern sections of the Afram Plains area, respectively. |
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Keywords: | Afram Plains Transmissivity Specific capacity Hierarchical cluster analysis PHREEQC |
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