Journal
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
Volume 29, Issue 19, Pages 4252-4263Publisher
WILEY-BLACKWELL
DOI: 10.1002/hyp.10499
Keywords
aquitard; carbonate aquifer; compartmentalized aquifer; heterogeneity; siliciclastic sequence
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Funding
- European Union (CC-WaterS programme)
- Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Universita e della Ricerca [PRIN2008TL25YL]
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The sedimentary sequences containing lithologic units with low permeability represent hydrogeologic systems, which, as of now, have been little studied despite their diffusion worldwide. A hydrogeologic study, aimed to assess the main factors controlling the groundwater flow dynamics in such systems and their hydraulic interactions with nearby carbonate aquifers, has been carried out in Longano (Isernia, Southern Italy). The analysis of the hydraulic heads, combined with the regimes of the springs and the electric conductivity of the groundwater, mainly reflect vertical and lateral heterogeneities of the media in terms of hydraulic properties. In particular, the flow system is controlled by lateral heterogeneities, which characterize a surficial horizon made up of clayey colluviums and talus deposits, separated from the deeper saturated, fissured bedrock. One-to-ten relationships in hydraulic heads, monitored in piezometers crossing the fissured media, further uphold the crucial role played by the lateral contrasts of permeability in controlling the flow dynamics. On the whole, significant interactions with the nearby carbonate hydrostructure take place. Nevertheless, the heterogeneities of the siliciclastic succession and surficial horizon, coupled with the compartmentalization of the carbonate system, lead to a complex hydrogeological scenario. In a wider perspective, this study gives information of utmost importance in order to improve the implementation of mathematical models and configuration of tapping works within these heterogeneous and complex settings. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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