Document Details

Document Type : Article In Journal 
Document Title :
Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical Indications of Faults Control on Groundwater Flow and Quality in Wadi Fatimah Basin, Western Part of Saudi Arabia
مؤشرات هيدروجيولوجية وهيدروكيميائية لتحكم الصدوع على سريان ، ونوعية المياه الجوفية بحوض وادي فاطمة ، الجزء الغربي من المملكة العربية السعودية
 
Subject : Earth Sciences 
Document Language : Arabic 
Abstract : The measurements of the water table and total depths of the drilled wells and the chemical composition of the groundwater, indicated that the occurrence of highly saline water zones in Al Sail Al Kabir and Al Jumum - Bahrah areas located within Fatimah basin, might be attributed to faults that occur in these regions. It is believed that these faults might have played an important role in developing semi-isolated groundwater basins due to their influence on free groundwater flow to these isolated basins, that contain highly saline water. In Al Sail Al Kabir region, it was observed that a dike extending east-west, which is probably a trace of the extension of Wadi Al Yamaniyyah fault, divided the area into two main parts; the southern and northern. In the southern part, the groundwater salinity is low, and the EC measurements ranged from 866 to 1689 mS/cm, whereas, in the northern part the groundwater salinity varied between 3420 and 5020 mS/ cm. The presence of this dike may constitute a groundwater barrier that impeded the groundwater general flow from the south to the north direction. This may modify the groundwater path way toward the west to Wadi Al Yamaniyyah. On the other hand, in Al Jumum-Bahrah region, the EC measurements show that the groundwater salinity varies between 5400 and 24900 mS/cm, and the highly mineralized water zone exists between Hadda and Bahrah. The well records, as well as the geophysical survey carried out in this area indicate, that the presence of highly mineralized groundwater zone might be attributed to the effect of the extension of the Shumaysi fault that runs northwesterly. This fault might have elevated the aquifer bedrock to a shallower level in this area, which in turn blocked the groundwater flow throughout the main channel of the wadi basin, and probably was modified towards Wadi Shumaysi. The landsat image indicates another fault located in the vicinity of the outlet of the Fatimah basin, and runs in a north-east direction. It might have uplifted the bedrock as well. The effects of these two buried faults had probably formed a semiisolated basin that contains highly saline groundwater. 
ISSN : 1012-8832 
Journal Name : Earth Sciences Journal 
Volume : 17 
Issue Number : 1 
Publishing Year : 1427 AH
2006 AD
 
Number Of Pages : 24 
Article Type : Article 
Added Date : Sunday, October 11, 2009 

Researchers

Researcher Name (Arabic)Researcher Name (English)Researcher TypeDr GradeEmail
محمود سعيد اليمانيMahmoud Said AlyamaniResearcher  

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