Abstract
Carbonate rock sequences commonly provide significant quantities of groundwater but the term ‘aquifer’ is potentially misleading when applied to these sequences because, in common usage, it implies a single body of groundwater in which water moves down a hydraulic gradient towards a specific surface outlet. Such aquifers are often modelled as an equivalent porous medium (EPM) in which the outlet is assumed to be a seepage face. These conditions rarely apply in carbonate rock sequences due to the development by dissolution of channel networks. In a ∼8 km2 block of carbonate rocks around the town of Buxton (United Kingdom) the degree of interconnectedness of the channel networks discharging at springs and intersected at wells varies to such an extent that there is clearly no single aquifer and it would be impossible to model the carbonate block as a simple EPM aquifer.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Atkinson TC, Smart PL (1981) Artificial tracers in hydrogeology. In: A Survey of British Hydrogeology 1980, 173–190. London: Royal Society
Banks VJ, Gunn J, Lowe DJ (2009) Stratigraphical influences on the limestone hydrogeology of the Wye catchment, Derbyshire. Q Jnl of Eng Geol and Hydrogeol 42, 211–225
Barker JA, Downing RA, Gray DA, Findlay J, Kellaway GA, Parker RH, Rollin KE (2000) Hydrogeothermal studies in the United Kingdom. Q Jnl of Eng Geol and Hydrogeol 33:41–58
Filipponi M, Jeannin P-Y, Tacher L. (2009) Evidence of inception horizons in karst conduit networks. Geomorphology 106 86–99
Ford D C and Williams P W. (2007). Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology. Wiley
Gunn J (2007) Contributory area definition for groundwater source protection and hazard mitigation in carbonate aquifers. In: Parise, M and Gunn, J (eds.) (2007). Natural and anthropogenic hazards in karst areas: recognition, analysis and mitigation. Geol Soc Sp Pub 279, 97–109
Gunn J, Bottrell SH, Lowe DJ, Worthington SRH (2006) Deep groundwater flow and geochemical processes in limestone aquifers. Hydrogeology Journal, 14, 868–881
Huntoon PW (1995) Is it appropriate to apply porous media groundwater circulation models to karstic aquifers? In: A.I. El-Kadi (ed.), Groundwater Models for Resources Analysis and Management, 339–358. Boca Raton, Florida. Lewis Publishers
Lowe DJ, Gunn J (1997) Carbonate speleogenesis: An inception horizon hypothesis. Acta Carsologica, 26(2), 457–488
Worthington SRH and Ford DC (2009) Self-Organized Permeability in Carbonate Aquifers. Ground Water 47, 326–336
Worthington SRH and Gunn J (2009) Hydrogeology of carbonate aquifers: a short history. Ground Water 47, 462–467
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gunn, J. (2010). Is the Term ‘Karst Aquifer’ Misleading?. In: Andreo, B., Carrasco, F., Durán, J., LaMoreaux, J. (eds) Advances in Research in Karst Media. Environmental Earth Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12486-0_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12486-0_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-12485-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-12486-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)