The Groundwater Flow Behavior and the Recharge in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System during the Wet and Arid Periods

Anwar, Mohamed; Ahmed, Ezzat A.; Alshehri, Fahad; Abdelrady, Ahmed

doi:10.3390/su14116823

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This trough may act as a small passage from north Sudan into Egypt. However, the heavy extraction rate of groundwater (47.56 m 3 /s; 1.5 km 3 /year; Mohamed, 2016;Mohamed et al, 2022c) in East Uweinat area may not be compensated for by groundwater flow from north Sudan. This is demonstrated by the east-west trending Uweinat-Awan basement uplift, which is obstructing groundwater flow from north Sudan.…”

Section: Uweinat-bir Safsaf-aswan Upliftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary cover and structural trends affecting the groundwater flow in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Inferences from geophysical, field and geochemical data

2023

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This study combined gravity data from the Earth Gravitational Model (EGM2008) with other data to better understand the spatial variations of the sedimentary cover and the structural trends that affect groundwater flow in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System. Our findings were verified and evidenced by geological, geochronological, geochemical data, and earthquake records: 1) The Uweinat-Aswan basement uplift, which runs east-west, partially isolates the Dakhla subbasin from the shallower northern Sudan subbasin, and thereby impeding the south-to-north groundwater flow from northern Sudan platform to the Dakhla subbasin; 2) A thickening of the sedimentary cover in the NE-SW direction from the southern Kufra through the northern Kufra to the Dakhla subbasin; 3) The sedimentary cover was found to increase from less than 500 m in the south (Northern Sudan and Uweinat region) to more than 6 km in the north (Mediterranean coast); 4) A number of structural trends (NE-SW, N-S, E-W, and NW-SE) affecting the region; 5) A large Pelusium megashear system that runs northeast to southwest makes it easier for groundwater to flow from the Kufra subbasin to the Dakhla subbasin; 6) Along the paths that groundwater takes, like from Siwa to Qattara and from northwest Farafra to north Bahariya, and along structures that run in the same direction as the flow, a progressive increase in 36Cl groundwater ages were observed; 7) It is a better way to learn about the hydrogeological context of large aquifers and figure out how to best manage these underground water sources.

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Section: Uweinat-bir Safsaf-aswan Upliftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary cover and structural trends affecting the groundwater flow in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Inferences from geophysical, field and geochemical data

2023

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“…In The groundwater in Kharga Oasis explores the significance of δ 18 O and δ 2 H providing practical implications in managing groundwater resources and ensuring sustainable and secure water supply for both ecological and human needs. The stable isotopes (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) indicate that the groundwater in the NSA is a deep confining fossil water that has a tremendous regional extension and was replenished thousands to millions of years ago by an intensification of paleomonsoons (Sarnthein et al, 1981;Prell and Kutzbach, 1987;Yan andPetit-Maire 1994 andMohamed et al, 2022). Therefore, monitoring groundwater quality and level fluctuation is crucial to assessing the sustainability of fossil nonrenewable groundwater as a sole public water supply source.…”

Section: Stable Isotopes and Origin Of Groundwatermentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical, Natural Radiogenic and Isotopic Implications for Nubian Sandstone Groundwater Assessment in Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Eissa

2023

Egyptian Journal of Desert Research

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roundwater in the Kharga Oasis, located in the Western Desert of Egypt, is an essential resource for the local population. The Oasis is fed by the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer (NSA) of the Cretaceous age. This aquifer is one of the world's largest reservoirs, which provides fresh water for drinking, irrigation, domestic use, and industrial purposes. The NSA possesses four bearing zones; Zone A, Zone B, Zone C, and Zone D, which are separated by clay confining layers. The total penetration depth ranges from 12.5 to 800 meters, and the aquifer is underlain by granitic and basement rocks. The groundwater temperature ranges between 18 to 36.8°C, where high temperatures have been detected in the deeper zones (C and D), indicating geothermal activity. Generally, the quality of NSA water is fresh to brackish water types; however, the deeper aquifer zones (C and D) mainly contain freshwater. The concentrations of the trace elements and the natural radioactive nuclei (Rb, Pb, 232 Th, 238 U, and Sr) in the NSA waters are insignificant and far below the permissible drinking limits, and they are mainly coming from the geogenic source due to leaching of aquifer matrix. The stable isotopes (δ 18 O and δ 2 H) show great insights for recharge and salinization sources. The δ 18 O ranges from -11.96 to -6.11‰, while δ 2 H ranges between -83.5 to -67.7‰, indicating that the groundwater in the NSA is fossil water (paleometeoric origin) as the aquifer was recharged during the paleo heavy pluvial periods. Accordingly, the groundwater in Kharga Oasis is a paleo nonrenewable resource whose quality has been threatened mainly by geogenic natural pollution, agricultural activity, and overexploitation.

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“…Physical and chemical models have long been employed on the groundwater level to assess the aquifer systems' rates of recharging, discharging, and depleting, as well as investigating the interconnectivity of their sub-basins [7][8][9][10][11][12]. Given the scarcity of the datasets needed for their application and the considerable time and resources needed to gather them, these methodologies are challenging to apply at regional level, and their conclusions are frequently disputed [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Geophysical Approach of Groundwater Potential in Wadi Ranyah, Saudi Arabia, Using Gravity, Electrical Resistivity, and Remote-Sensing Techniques

et al. 2023

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In order to cope with the rise in human-caused demands, Saudi Arabia is exploring new groundwater sources. The groundwater potential of Wadi Ranyah was studied using a multi-dataset-integrated approach that included time-variable gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), vertical electrical sounding (VES), and time-domain-electromagnetic (TDEM) data with other related datasets to examine the variations and occurrence of groundwater storage and to define the controlling factors affecting the groundwater potential in Wadi Ranyah in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Between April 2002 and December 2021, the estimated variation in groundwater resources was −3.85 ± 0.15 mm/yr. From 2002 to 2019, the area observed an average yearly precipitation rate of 100 mm. The sedimentary succession and the underlying fractured basement rocks are influenced by the structural patterns that run mainly in three different trends (NW, NE, and NS). The sedimentary cover varies from 0 to 27 m in thickness. The outputs of the electrical sounding revealed four primary geoelectric units in the study area: on top, a highly resistant geoelectrical unit with a resistivity of 235–1020 Ω.m, composed of unsorted, loose, recent sediments; this is followed by a layer of gravel and coarse-grained sands with a resistivity of 225–980 Ω.m; then, a water-bearing unit of saturated sediments and weathered, fractured, basement crystalline rocks with a resistivity of 40–105 Ω.m, its depth varying from 4 to ~9 m; and then the lowest fourth unit composed of massive basement rocks with higher resistivity values varying from 4780 to 7850 Ω.m. The seven built dams store surface-water runoff in the southwestern part of the wadi, close to the upstream section, in addition to the Ranyah dam, as the eighth one is located in the middle of the wadi. The subsurface NW- and NS-trending fault lines impede the groundwater from flowing downstream of the wadi, forming isolated water-bearing grabens. Minimal surface runoff might occur in the northern part of the wadi. The combined findings are beneficial because they provide a complete picture of the groundwater potential of Wadi Ranyah and the controlling structural patterns. Using this integrated technique, the groundwater potential in arid and semiarid regions can now be accurately assessed.

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The Groundwater Flow Behavior and the Recharge in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System during the Wet and Arid Periods

Cited by 16 publications

References 46 publications

Sedimentary cover and structural trends affecting the groundwater flow in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Inferences from geophysical, field and geochemical data

Sedimentary cover and structural trends affecting the groundwater flow in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System: Inferences from geophysical, field and geochemical data

Geochemical, Natural Radiogenic and Isotopic Implications for Nubian Sandstone Groundwater Assessment in Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Integrated Geophysical Approach of Groundwater Potential in Wadi Ranyah, Saudi Arabia, Using Gravity, Electrical Resistivity, and Remote-Sensing Techniques

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