Earthquake Hydrogeology

Abstract

Hydrologic responses to earthquakes such as streamflow increases, water‐level changes, and changes in geyser eruption frequency often reflect changes in permeability caused by seismic waves. The dynamic nature of permeability, as revealed by coseismic hydrologic phenomena, holds implications for groundwater systems, geothermal resources, mineral resources, and geologic hazards. Analysis of water‐level responses to solid Earth tides and changes in atmospheric pressure provides a passive way to continuously monitor changes in permeability and storage properties in tectonically active regions.

Earthquakes and extreme rainfall induce long term permeability enhancement of volcanic island hydrogeological systems

“… 1 – 3 ), new streams and springs appearance 4 , disappearance of existing springs, streams discharge increase. These impacts are observed from near field to hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the earthquake, depending on its magnitude 2 , 5 . In the near field, these modifications could directly affect water resource production, its quality, and supply to the population.…”

“…Such observations of interaction between seismic waves propagation and groundwater are precious opportunities to investigate the hydrogeological functioning of aquifers and their hydraulic properties evolution over time 5 , especially in confined aquifer where boreholes react as natural strain meters 6 . Earthquakes induce static and dynamic stress changes, as a function of distance and magnitude, and such changes can induce aquifer permeability changes 2 , 7 – 10 .…”

“…Characterizing and quantifying temporal evolution of permeability, the key hydraulic parameter controlling groundwater flow, also remain one of the present-day scientific challenges 5 , 29 . Long term monitoring is difficult and challenging 30 but monitoring permeability evolution in seismically active regions such as subduction zones could provide unique opportunities to understand the link between earthquakes and permeability variations.…”

Groundwater dynamics at Kīlauea Volcano and vicinity, Hawaiʻi

“…The physical drivers of the observed suite of responses remain ambiguous. Similar excursions in water-level and groundwater-chemistry time series (for example, Skelton and others, 2014) have commonly been attributed to permeability changes caused by seismic activity (Ingebritsen and Manga, 2019). However, such responses are typically coseismic.…”

Response to Tides, Barometric Pressure and Seismic Waves

“…For the study of the interactions between earthquakes and groundwater, however, one often needs to compare the responses before and after the earthquake, and well tests become impractical because continuous well tests are too laborious and expensive. In comparison, the analyses of the response of groundwater level to natural forcing, such as tides and barometric pressure, are much more economical for continuously monitoring the hydraulic properties of aquifers and have gained increasing attention in hydrogeologic studies, particularly in the study of groundwater response to large earthquakes (e.g., Ingebritsen and Manga 2019).…”