Can coseismic static stress changes sustain postseismic degassing?

Earthquakes can trigger increased degassing in hydrogeological systems. Many of these systems return to preseismic conditions after months, but sometimes postseismic degassing lasts for years. The factors controlling such long-lasting degassing are poorly known. I explored the potential role of diverse triggering mechanisms (i.e., dynamic and static stress changes, volumetric strain) for three large earthquakes that induced postseismic degassing (the Wenchuan [China], Maule [Chile], and Gorkha [Nepal] earthquakes). The lessons from this study suggest that hydrogeological systems can respond to earthquakes in various ways, and different causal mechanisms can play a role. Persistent increased CO2 flux from hot springs has been documented after the Gorkha earthquake. These hot springs had their feeder systems dominantly unclamped, suggesting that sufficiently large normal stress changes may sustain late postseismic degassing. The results of this study are twofold: (1) they show a spatial correlation between unclamping stress and increased gas flow, and (2) they provide an explanation for protracted increased degassing.

AREHS: effects of changing boundary conditions on the development of hydrogeological systems: numerical long-term modelling considering thermal–hydraulic–mechanical(–chemical) coupled effects

Within the framework of the “Gesetz zur Suche und Auswahl eines Standortes für ein Endlager für hochradioaktive Abfälle” (Repository Site Selection Act – StandAG), the geoscientific and planning requirements and criteria for the site selection for a repository for high-active nuclear waste are specified. This includes, among others, the modelling of hydrogeological scenarios such as how future cold and warm periods and associated glaciation events can change the (petro-)physical properties specified in the StandAG as well as the natural hydrogeological properties of the overall system through, for example, reactivation of faults or changes in hydraulic gradients and consequently flow directions. The main objective of the AREHS (Effects of Changing Boundary Conditions on the Development of Hydrogeological Systems) project, funded by BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management; FKZ 4719F10402), is to model the effects of changing external boundary conditions on the hydrogeologically relevant parameters and effects (e.g. hydraulic permeability, porosity, migration pathways, fluid availability, hydraulic gradients) of a generic geological repository in Germany in all three potential host rocks (clay, salt and crystalline rocks) and its surrounding hydrogeological setting (Table 1). Special attention is paid to the cyclic mechanical loading and unloading due to glaciation events and the resulting stress changes (M), as well as induced temperature effects (T) due to permafrost and warm periods. As such processes can cause changes in the coupled far-field regime with groundwater flow and groundwater supply (H), as well as fluid transport due to thermal (T) and chemical (C) gradients, and reactivate faults/fractures (M) and thus create new/additional pathways, they are particularly relevant to the integrity of a repository over a period of 1 million years and must be properly captured with coupled THM(C) modelling. Before a model is set up for the different host rocks, a detailed assessment of relevant processes has been conducted based on NEA-2019 FEP catalogue (NEA, 2019) for high-level waste repositories. The modelling is performed using generic 3D models of typical host rock formations satisfying the StandAG criteria. Although the models for salt and clay rock have been adapted from generic models from recent research projects, for crystalline rock a new generic model had to be developed (Fig. 1) considering discontinuities of different scales that have to be incorporated into the THM(C) models explicitly as DFN (Discrete Fracture Network) networks. This is done by coupling two numerical codes: DFN-lab and 3DEC. A central phase in the overall modelling process is the benchmarking of the models with data from existing models and with field-scale studies. This is done separately for all three host rocks. In addition to extending the modelling capacities for glaciation processes and verifying by corresponding benchmarking tests (analytical solutions and literature comparisons), automated workflows have been developed to generate OpenGeoSys models from GOCAD structure models. Script-based automated workflows improve software quality for site investigation, especially in a sense of modularization as well as reproducibility. The generic workflow concept is currently being tested for the literature-based benchmarks and will, therefore, support a persistent and sustainable benchmarking procedure in the future.

Long-lived Radioactive Elements and REE as Fingerprints of Deep Groundwater Flow

<p>Groundwater originating from great depths provide a valuable geochemical sampling medium for exploring the development of the Earth's crust, geological, and hydrogeological resources. This particularly applies to sites of natural springs, where favorable hydrogeological conditions enabled regional discharge. Despite the numerous occurrences of mineral and thermal waters in Serbia, the current understanding of the regional groundwater flow is associated with many open questions that need to be addressed. From a geological standpoint, Serbia is part of the Alpine-Mediterranean mountain belt. From the middle of the Mesozoic to the present, this area underwent processes of subduction, collision, and extensions with accompanying voluminous magmatism and volcanism. As a result of the mentioned geodynamic events, the Serbian territory was a zone of intensive tectonomagmatic processes which had a significant impact on the formation of the hydrogeological structures for forming groundwater enriched with specific elements and elevated temperatures.</p><p>Understanding groundwater origin and characterization of a deep circulation is a big challenge since the groundwater pathways and aqueous chemistry are significantly influenced by various factors. To contribute to the characterization of the hydrogeological systems in which the mineral and thermal waters of Serbia are formed, a general hydrochemical study was conducted. During this research 190 of the most significant sources of mineral and thermal waters were sampled, belonging to different geological (geotectonic) units all over Serbia. The applied hydrochemical approach of recognition of deep circulation patterns is based on an analysis of rare earth elements (REE) and natural radioactivity. REE and long-lived radionuclides <sup>40</sup>K, <sup>238</sup>U, <sup>232</sup>Th, <sup>226,228</sup>Ra, gross alpha, and beta radioactivity, have proven to be significant fingerprints of water-rock interaction as well as groundwater flow tracers.</p><p>The integrated approach of the hydrogeochemical analysis and multivariate statistical method, including spatial mapping of obtained results, was an important process for meaningful interpretation of the data set. The applied approach summarized the complex hydrochemical properties on a general level defining specific hydrochemical fingerprints of hydrogeological systems with distinct geochemical characteristics and flow patterns. Geochemical behavior of natural tracers (REE) and radioactivity contributed to further characterization of deep hydrogeological systems in basins structures, hard rocks (igneous and metamorphic rocks), as well as carbonate environments.</p><p>Rare-earth element data (including abundances and fractionation patterns along with anomalies of Ce and Eu and interelement ratios), relationships of U and Th as elements with different geochemical behavior, and the content of Ra in groundwaters have been singled out as important indicators of deep hydrogeological systems. The results showed that the isolated regional hydrogeological systems are in the function of significant tectonic structures/dislocations, but also hydrogeological characteristics and circulation conditions. Further use of the proposed methodology will provide important data from the assessment of the origin of hydro-geofluids in Serbia and contribute to the wider picture in the understanding of the hydrogeological evolution of regional groundwater flow.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> natural radioactivity, rare earth elements, hydrogeochemical fingerprints, regional groundwater flow</p>

Quantitative classification of carbonate aquifers based on hydrodynamic behaviour

A quantitative classification of carbonate aquifers based on hydrodynamic behaviour is introduced. This type of classification is necessary to understand the physical functioning of carbonate hydrogeological systems and to provide a realistic interpretation of field data. Carbonate aquifers are generally considered as karst systems; however, geomorphology and aquifer geology alone are insufficient for determining hydrodynamic behaviour. Analysis of spring and well hydrographs based on analytical solutions is applied to establishing a quantitative classification. A base-flow recession coefficient is used as an indicator of hydrodynamic behaviour. Detailed numerical analyses suggest that carbonate systems can be classified into two distinct groups based on hydrodynamic behaviour. The physical processes depend on a combination of hydraulic and geometric parameters, and their functional relationships can be quantitatively determined. The proposed classification methodology involves making an assumption about aquifer type, estimating aquifer properties from hydrograph data, and comparing the results with field observations. The proposed classification methodology was applied to aquifers representing the two groups of carbonate systems. In both cases, the applied methods revealed crucial information about hydrodynamic functioning of the investigated systems. While the studied limestone aquifer showed karstic hydrodynamic behaviour, the investigation of a dolomite aquifer disproves a priori assumptions on karstic flow conditions. Dolomite aquifers represent an ambiguous group of carbonates and require caution in the selection of investigation tools and interpretation of hydrogeological data. The introduced methodology provides a reliable means of determining the hydrodynamic functioning of an aquifer and supports the quantitative classification of carbonate hydrogeological systems.

EFFECTIVENESS OF A MODERN LANDFILL LINER SYSTEM IN CONTROLLING GROUNDWATER QUALITY OF AN OPEN HYDROGEOLOGICAL SYSTEM, SE LITHUANIA

The work analyzes data of environmental geological mapping, groundwater monitoring of the region municipal waste landfill. This study examines the effectiveness of a modern landfill liner system in minimizing migration of pollutants in the groundwater of an open hydrogeological system. The results showed that dissolution of carbonates and dilution were the major processes controlling groundwater quality. In the landfill’s direct impact zone, groundwater was only weakly polluted with biogenic components. Increase in concentrations of these chemical components in this zone was related with the groundwater and surface runoff water flowing from adjacent areas. We can state that the modern landfill liner system we analysed is efficient and has no adverse effects on groundwater quality under hydrogeological conditions favourable for the spread of pollutants. However, in case of an accident, pollutants might pose a great threat on the safety of groundwater. Therefore, even modern landfill liner systems are not recommended to be constructed in open hydrogeological systems.

The Ecosystem Resilience Concept Applied to Hydrogeological Systems: A General Approach

We have witnessed the great changes that hydrogeological systems are facing in the last decades: rivers that have dried up; wetlands that have disappeared, leaving their buckets converted into farmland; and aquifers that have been intensively exploited for years, among others. Humans have caused the most part of these results that can be worsened by climate change, with delayed effects on groundwater quantity and quality. The consequences are negatively impacting ecosystems and dependent societies. The concept of resilience has not been extensively used in the hydrogeological research, and it can be a very useful concept that can improve the understanding and management of these systems. The aim of this work is to briefly discuss the role of resilience in the context of freshwater systems affected by either climate or anthropic actions as a way to increase our understanding of how anticipating negative changes (transitions) may contribute to improving the management of the system and preserving the services that it provides. First, the article presents the basic concepts applied to hydrogeological systems from the ecosystem’s resilience approach. Second, the factors controlling for hydrogeological systems’ responses to different impacts are commented upon. Third, a case study is analyzed and discussed. Finally, the useful implications of the concept are discussed.

A hydro-thermo-haline numerical approach of the groundwater flow to explain the extreme Li-enrichment in the Salar de Atacama (NE Chile)

<p>Salt flats (<em>salars</em>) are endorheic hydrogeological systems associated with arid to hyperarid climates. The brines of salt flats account the 80 % of the world’s reserves of Li highly demanded by modern industry. About 40 % of the worldwide Li is extracted from the brine that fills the pores and cavities of the Salar de Atacama. However, the origin of the extreme Li-enrichment of these brines is still unknown.</p><p>The thick accumulation of salts and brines in salt flats results from the groundwater discharge (phreatic evaporation) near the land surface for thousands to millions of years. The strong evaporation contributes the enrichment in major cations and anions as well as other rare elements (e.g. Li, B, Ba, Sr, Br, I and F) which are very attractive for mining exploitation. However, only evaporation cannot explain by itself the extreme concentrations of some of these elements and the strong decoupling between the most evaporated brines and the most Li-enriched brines in the Salar de Atacama. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the extreme Li-enrichment of the salt flat brines: (a) concentrated brines leaking down from salt flats located in the Andean Plateau, (b) leaching of hypothetical ancient salt flats buried among volcanic rocks, and (c) rising of hydrothermal brines from deep reservoirs through faults. However, none of them has been able probed neither validated by a numerical model till the date.</p><p>The objective of this work is to discuss the feasibility of the different hypotheses proposed until now to explain the formation of the world's largest lithium reserve. To achieve this objective, two sets of numerical simulations of a 2D vertical cross-section of the entire Salar de Atacama basin are carried out to define (1) the origin and evolution of a salt flat and how climate cycles can affect the location of the most Li-concentrated brines by evaporation and (2) the establishment of the hydro-thermo-haline circulation of a mature salt flat basin.</p>