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3-D groundwater modeling at regional scale
Auteur(s)
Date de parution
2001
Résumé
Large hydrogeological basins are constituted of several superimposed aquifers, separated by geological formations of relatively low permeabilities. The delimitation of the different flow systems is far more difficult to realize for a heterogeneous system. Flux vectors provide valuable indications about groundwater flow paths and hydraulic exchanges between the different geological formations. Hydraulic relationships between two superimposed aquifers can vary locally: an aquifer can «feed» the underlying one at some point and conversely elsewhere. These relationships, which constitute in fact the flow field, will be determined by the structure of the basin as defined by the spatial distribution of the rock permeabilities, and by the boundary conditions, as defined by the locations of the recharge and discharge areas. The aim of this study is to show schematically the deep groundwater flow patterns between the massives of the Aar and the Black Forest. The hydrogeological profiles illustrate three-dimensional flow fields inside a large volume of terrain and represent but one of the numerous solutions of the mathematical modelling realized. Computations have been performed for a steady state flow regime, which means that the boundary conditions do not vary with time. <br> On the basis of modelling results, it was possible to illustrate schematically the deep flow systems of the most important aquifers between the Aar massives and the Black Forest (Malm, Muschelkalk and upper Cristallin). An approximate but plausible representation of the groundwater circulation in deep aquifers was obtained thanks to the model. We are able to distinguish between the hydraulic relationships of two superimposed aquifers in various regions. The three-dimensional representation shows the outcrop zones of the different geological formations as well as the situation of recharge areas, which are characterised by high potentials, and discharge zones, which are characterised by low potentials in valleys represented by the hydrographic network. <br> Modelling results are then compared to available measurements in an attempt to validate the results. It is interesting to notice that it was possible, to a certain extent, to verify the modelling results by deep drillings. Most particularly, measurements of the hydraulic potentials at various depths in these boreholes have revealed upwellings close to the regional discharge areas.
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Type de publication
journal article
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