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Integrating hydrogeological, geophysical, and remote-sensing data to identify fresh groundwater resources in arid regions: a case study from Western Iraq

DOI:10.1007/s12665-019-8501-z
Authors:
Hussein A. Jassas at Iraq Geological Survey
Hussein A. Jassas
Hayder Adnan Al-Bahadily at Iraq Geological Survey
Hayder Adnan Al-Bahadily
Younus Al-Saady at Iraq Geological Survey
Younus Al-Saady
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Abstract and Figures

There is a limited availability of fresh groundwater in the western part of Iraq due to the aridity of the region, and new water supplies are required to meet the demands of potential industrial, mining, and agricultural projects. Consequently, the factors that influence the quality, availability, and distribution of fresh groundwater in the region were assessed by combining hydrogeological, geophysical, and remote-sensing data within a GIS environment. For this purpose, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data, geophysical data (gravity and magnetic), and hydrogeological database were used in an integrated approach. It was concluded that both a regionally extensive, deep intergranular aquifer and shallow-fractured and karstified carbonate aquifers have the potential to contain fresh groundwater in the region. It was inferred from the hydrochemical statistics that the main factors controlling groundwater chemistry are the dissolution of evaporite minerals and the weathering of carbonate rocks. Gravity (measured and satellite) data and magnetic data were processed and interpreted to identify the locations and characteristics of subsurface structures. Source Parameter Imaging was applied to calculate depth to the magnetic basement map from gridded magnetic data. The decompensative anomaly maps showed that zones with fresh groundwater are distributed on gravity lows which coincide with areas with a large depth to basement. Most of the fresh groundwater zones in the region are distributed between the pre-Tertiary and Tertiary axes of the Ha’il Arch due to increased recharge along this structure caused by intense fracturing. The extension of the gravity high outside the Iraq territory may suggest similar freshwater zones of groundwater occur in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
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Environmental Earth Sciences (2019) 78:521
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8501-z
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Integrating hydrogeological, geophysical, andremote‑sensing data
toidentify fresh groundwater resources inarid regions: acase study
fromWestern Iraq
HusseinA.Jassas1· HayderA.Al‑Bahadily1· YounusI.Al‑Saady1
Received: 17 April 2019 / Accepted: 23 July 2019 / Published online: 13 August 2019
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract
There is a limited availability of fresh groundwater in the western part of Iraq due to the aridity of the region, and new
water supplies are required to meet the demands of potential industrial, mining, and agricultural projects. Consequently, the
factors that influence the quality, availability, and distribution of fresh groundwater in the region were assessed by combin-
ing hydrogeological, geophysical, and remote-sensing data within a GIS environment. For this purpose, the Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission elevation data, geophysical data (gravity and magnetic), and hydrogeological database were used in an
integrated approach. It was concluded that both a regionally extensive, deep intergranular aquifer and shallow-fractured and
karstified carbonate aquifers have the potential to contain fresh groundwater in the region. It was inferred from the hydro-
chemical statistics that the main factors controlling groundwater chemistry are the dissolution of evaporite minerals and
the weathering of carbonate rocks. Gravity (measured and satellite) data and magnetic data were processed and interpreted
to identify the locations and characteristics of subsurface structures. Source Parameter Imaging was applied to calculate
depth to the magnetic basement map from gridded magnetic data. The decompensative anomaly maps showed that zones
with fresh groundwater are distributed on gravity lows which coincide with areas with a large depth to basement. Most of
the fresh groundwater zones in the region are distributed between the pre-Tertiary and Tertiary axes of the Ha’il Arch due
to increased recharge along this structure caused by intense fracturing. The extension of the gravity high outside the Iraq
territory may suggest similar freshwater zones of groundwater occur in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Keywords Groundwater· Magnetic· Gravity· DEM· Subsurface structures
Introduction
The porosity and permeability of a rock formation are the
main factors controlling the occurrence and movement of
groundwater. In fractured aquifers, the movement of ground-
water is irregular due to its spatial variation in fracturing and
jointing density (secondary porosities) and the complexity
of the geological setting and groundwater flow regime. This
fact is confirmed by field experience in hard-rock terrains
which indicates that boreholes exhibit highly variable yields,
even when located a short distance apart.
In regional groundwater exploration surveys in weath-
ered hard-rock terrains, formations that have a considerable
thickness and/or are fractured and jointed are commonly the
principle targets for finding suitable yields of groundwater
(Yadav and Singh 2007; Dushiyanthan etal. 2016). How-
ever, traditional hydrogeological fieldwork can be time-inef-
fective and difficult to undertake in remote areas that have
a rugged topography and are subject to local social unrest
(Ahmed and Mansor 2018; Kumar etal. 2016). Identifying
zones which are prospective for groundwater resources and
determining suitable drilling sites for water production wells
is particularly difficult in regions with a complex geological
setting with fractured and karstified rocks.
Remote-sensing techniques combined with GIS methods
can help to identify and study potential groundwater targets
in such regions. The most important potential application of
these techniques in hydrological studies is in determining of
topographic and morphometric parameters from the digital
elevation model (DEM).
* Hussein A. Jassas
husseinjassas@yahoo.com
1 Iraq Geological Survey, Baghdad, Iraq
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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