Identifying watershed-scale groundwater flow barriers: the Yoqne'am Fault in Israel
Article
Article Title | Identifying watershed-scale groundwater flow barriers: the Yoqne'am Fault in Israel |
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ERA Journal ID | 1947 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Dafny, Elad (Author), Gvirtzman, Haim (Author) and Burg, Avihu (Author) |
Journal Title | Hydrogeology Journal |
Journal Citation | 21 (5), pp. 1035-1051 |
Number of Pages | 17 |
Year | 2013 |
Place of Publication | Heidelberg, Germany |
ISSN | 0941-2816 |
1431-2174 | |
1435-0157 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-013-0982-3 |
Web Address (URL) | http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10040-013-0982-3.pdf |
Abstract | Geological faults may serve either as groundwater conduits or barriers, depending on their hydraulic properties. Determining fault characteristics is therefore important when deciding inputs for numerical models developed for watershed-scale groundwater studies. Cutting-edge methods for determining fault characteristics have been widely applied for oil and gas reservoir characterization purposes, whereas water-resource studies simply use a priori values. This study evaluates the hydraulic properties of the Yoqne'am Fault (YF), in northern Israel, which impacts groundwater flow within the Judea Group Aquifer (JGA). The YF has a vertical throw of several hundred to one thousand meters accompanied by pronounced lateral throw. Detailed examination of hydrological and geochemical data from nearby wells, structural maps and numerical modeling results, suggests that the YF acts as a semi-impermeable feature with a hydraulic conductivity of less than 4x10e-2 m/d. The YF hydraulic conductivity is four orders of magnitude below that of the surrounding Judea Group rocks, and only a limited volume of water can leak through the fault. For that reason, it is concluded that the YF acts as a boundary between two large groundwater basins. |
Keywords | Israel; fault; hydraulic properties; Judea Group Aquifer; numerical modeling |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 370903. Natural hazards |
370799. Hydrology not elsewhere classified | |
401208. Geophysical and environmental fluid flows | |
Public Notes | © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Published online 19 Apr 2013. Published version deposited in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. |
Byline Affiliations | National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture |
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel | |
Geological Survey of Israel, Israel | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q1xv3/identifying-watershed-scale-groundwater-flow-barriers-the-yoqne-am-fault-in-israel
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