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Schematization of Converging Groundwater Flow Systems Based on 3D Geostatistics

2022; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 14; Issue: 19 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/w14193169

2073-4441

Heriberto Morales de Ávila, Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira, Julián González-Trinidad, María Vicenta Esteller Alberich, Raúl Ulices Silva-Ávalos, Sandra Dávila-Hernández, Juana Cazares-Escareño, Carlos Bautista-Capetillo,

Groundwater flow and contamination studies

Groundwater is the main source of freshwater available for human beings and is generally extracted through wells. The objective of this work was to schematize the groundwater flow systems within the Calera Aquifer through 3D geostatistical estimations of hydraulic head and physico-chemical parameters and the integration of hydrogeological features. The evolution of groundwater during its circulation in the subsoil can be done by identifying different types of flow (local, intermediate, regional, or mixed). Two main approaches have been proposed for the identification of flow systems: explaining the evolution of physico-chemical parameters of water through its interaction with the geologic medium, and using cluster analysis; however, these approaches usually do not consider simultaneously the 3D distribution of hydraulic head, water quality parameters, and the geological media that can be useful to delineate converging flow systems with a differentiated origin. In this paper, the determination of groundwater flow systems within the Calera aquifer in Mexico is supported with 3D representations of these hydrogeological variables besides constructive data of the sampled well. For the case study, the convergence of different flow systems that are not identified through a single cluster analysis was actually noticed by the proposal done in this paper.