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Evaluation of Temperature and Mixing Process of Water in Deep and Shallow Aquifers in the Southwestern Tunisia: Case of Djerid Region

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Abstract

This study addresses the hydrogeochemistry of thermal and cold waters circulating in the mineralised area of the Djerid basin (South-western of Tunisia) that aimed basically at understanding the mixing processes influencing their chemical compositions. Temperature intervals are 38–75 and 24.5–26.8 °C for thermal water and cold water, respectively. Two distinct hydrogeological systems supply water either for irrigation or for drinking; they are: (1) the Continental Intercalaire geothermal aquifer (CI), and (2) the Complex Terminal aquifer (CT). Geological, geophysical, hydrogeological, hydrochemical methods are applied to reliably analyze and understand the operating model of the aquifer systems, to determine the hydrogeological, the geochemical behaviours, and the possible inter-aquifers water transfer in south western of Tunisia. The reservoir temperature is estimated to be between 60 and 104 °C according to calculations using silica geothermometers and computation of saturation indexes for different solid phases. Based on chemical and thermal data, it is hypothesized that: (1) mixing rate, which occurs between the ascending deep geothermal water and shallow cold water, is estimated from the enthalpy and chloride methods to be about 65 and 73 % respectively, (2) Mixing models can explain the temperature of the geothermal fluid component.

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  1. Water, Energy and Environment Laboratory (LR3E), National School of the Engineers, B.p.w.3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Fatma Ben Brahim, Jalila Makni, Salem Bouri & Hamed Ben Dhia

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  1. Fatma Ben Brahim
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  2. Jalila Makni
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  3. Salem Bouri
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  4. Hamed Ben Dhia
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Correspondence to Fatma Ben Brahim.

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Ben Brahim, F., Makni, J., Bouri, S. et al. Evaluation of Temperature and Mixing Process of Water in Deep and Shallow Aquifers in the Southwestern Tunisia: Case of Djerid Region. Arab J Sci Eng 39, 5677–5689 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-014-1138-z

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