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Changes in the Hydraulic Characteristics in Chongqing Related to the Wenchuan Earthquake

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Abstract

Seismic stress may cause changes in the hydraulic characteristics of aquifers and corresponding changes in the movement state of the groundwater flow. In this study, based on the theoretical relationship between the tidal response of the well water level and an aquifer’s hydraulic characteristics, the hydraulic parameters of an observed aquifer in the Chongqing area are estimated through the tidal response of the well water level, and the influence of the Wenchuan earthquake on the hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer and the movement of the groundwater is discussed. The results showed that the groundwater near well DZ was mainly controlled by horizontal flow accompanied by extremely weak vertical leakage, and the hydraulic conductivity of the target aquifer calculated using the tidal radial flow model was basically consistent with the results of previous pumping tests. Vertical and horizontal flow coexist in the aquifer system near wells BB and BN, and the specific leakage can be obtained using the mixed aquifer model. The intense tectonic static stress caused by the Wenchuan earthquake resulted in obvious tensile deformation of the aquifers near these three wells, which became the main reason for the changes in the well water level and the enhanced vertical leakage. In addition, the rise in the water level in well BN may have been related to its artesian characteristics and hydrogeological conditions. This article deepens our understanding of the influence of seismic stress loading on groundwater flow in regional aquifers.

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Funding

The original water level data used in this article are from the National Earthquake Precursory Network Center. This work was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation of China (8222003), National Natural ScienceFoundation of China (41877205) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (41807180).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, No. 100 Pingyue Park, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

    Shuangshuang Lan, Kexin Zhao, Wenyu Liang & Peng Qiao

  2. Institute of Disaster Prevention, College Street, Yanjiao Town, Sanhe City, Hebei Province, China

    Hongbiao Gu

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  1. Shuangshuang Lan
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by SL, KZ, HG, WL, PQ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by SL and KZ, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shuangshuang Lan.

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Lan, S., Zhao, K., Gu, H. et al. Changes in the Hydraulic Characteristics in Chongqing Related to the Wenchuan Earthquake. Pure Appl. Geophys. 179, 3767–3783 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-022-03139-0

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