Articles written in Journal of Earth System Science

• Evaluation of regional fracture properties for groundwater development using hydrolithostructural domain approach in variably fractured hard rocks of Purulia district, West Bengal, India

Estimation of geohydrologic properties of fractured aquifers in hard crystalline and/or metamorphosed country rocks is a challenge due to the complex nature of secondary porosity that is caused by differential fracturing. Hydrologic potentiality of such aquifers may be assessed if the geological controls governing the spatial distribution of these fracture systems are computed using a software-based model. As an exemplar, the Precambrian metamorphics exposed in and around the Balarampur town of Purulia district, West Bengal (India) were studied to find out the spatial pattern and consistency of such fracture systems. Surfer and Statistica softwares were used to characterize these rock masses in terms of hydrological, structural and lithological domains. The technique is based on the use of hydraulically significant fracture properties to generate representative modal and coefficient of variance ($C_ν$) of fracture datasets of each domain. The $C_ν$ is interpreted to obtain the spatial variability of hydraulically significant fracture properties that, in turn, define and identify the corresponding hydrolithostructural domains. The groundwater flow estimated from such a technique is verified with the routine hydrological studies to validate the procedure. It is suggested that the hydrolithostructural domain approach is a useful alternative for evaluation of fracture properties and aquifer potentiality, and development of a regional groundwater model thereof.

• Lithostratigraphic contact – a significant site for hydrogeological investigation in crystalline fractured-rock terrains

Estimating the hydrogeologic control of fractured aquifers in hard crystalline and metamorphosed rocks is challenging due to complexity in the development of secondary porosity. The present study in the Precambrian metamorphic terrain in and around the Balarampur of Purulia district, West Bengal, India, aims to estimate the hydrogeologic significance of lithostratigraphic contacts using fracture characteristics obtained from surface bedrock exposures supported by hydrological data from the existing dugwells. This study involves the domain-wise analysis of the frequencies of fractures that control the fractureporosity.The domain-wise study reveals higher fracture-frequencies adjacent to the lithostratigraphic contacts. The concurrence of lithostratigraphic contacts with the occurrences of high-discharging wells and also with the deep weathered zone in low-lying areas is clearly established, thus assigning the lithostratigraphic contact as hydrogeologically significant. An increase in frequencies of the fractures within the ‘influence zone’ of the lithocontact, is clearly visible. Among those fractures, particularly, which make the angle greater than the ‘limiting angle’ with the lithocontact are characterised by increased frequencies. However, brittle rocks like quartz biotite granite gneisses, phyllite and epidiorite show high porosity of fracture, within the ‘influence zone’ of the lithostratigraphic contact. Enhanced deepening of the weathered-zone at lower topographic region may perhaps be a plausible explanation for this increased fracture-porosity at lithocontact to assign it as a hydrogeologically significant transmissive zone within fractured rocks.

• # Journal of Earth System Science

Volume 129, 2020
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode

• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019