Combining geology, hydrogeology and groundwater flow for the assessment of groundwater in the Zahrez Basin, Algeria
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REVIEW PAPER
Combining geology, hydrogeology and groundwater flow for the assessment of groundwater in the Zahrez Basin, Algeria Fatah Bouteldjaoui 1 & Mohamed Bessenasse 2 & Ahmed Kettab 1 & Traugott Scheytt 3 Received: 13 January 2018 / Accepted: 31 October 2019 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2019
Abstract The Zahrez basin is one of the endorheic basins of the vast steppes region, which is located in central northern Algeria, about 300 km from Algiers, covering a surface area of approximately 9000 km2. Geological, hydrogeological, hydrochemical, and groundwater flow data are integrated and used to evaluate and characterize groundwater resources and to identify the main factors controlling groundwater flow in the region. The hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer system show that Turonian sediments form the principal aquifer in the north-western part of the study area. This aquifer is continuous with an aquifer of Miocene-Pliocene-Quaternary age on the northern flank of the Djelfa Syncline. The mean hydraulic conductivity of the Turonian aquifer is about 10-4 m/s. Albian sandstone sequences constitute the most extensive aquifer in the Saharan Atlas mountain range, with typical hydraulic conductivities of between 10−6 and 10−2 m/s. A Barremian aquifer within the basin is most productive in the downstream parts, where the hydraulic conductivity is about 1.3 × 10-5 m/s. Piezometric maps from 1994 to 2011 show groundwater flow within this aquifer converging from all directions towards the endorheic depression of the Zahrez Chergui and Zahrez Gharbi chotts, which form the main natural discharge areas. Keywords Endorheic depression . Hydrogeology behavior . Hydrogeochemistry . Zahrez Basin . Algeria
Introduction The Zahrez Basin (Fig. 1) is an endorheic basin covering approximately 9000 km2 in the vast steppe region of northcentral Algeria, about 300 km south of Algiers. The topography of the area is relatively flat, with elevations ranging between 900 and 1330 m above mean sea level (ANRH, 2009). The basins catchment area lies between longitudes 2° 15’ and 4° 08’ E, and between latitudes 34° 35’ and 35  ° 30’ N. The area has a typical semi-arid Mediterranean climate, with the average annual rainfall of Responsible Editor: Broder J. Merkel * Fatah Bouteldjaoui [email protected] 1
Laboratoire de Recherche Sciences de l’Eau (LRS-EAU/ENP) 10, Ecole Nationale Polytechnique, Av. Hacen Badi, BP 182, Alger, El-Harrach, Algeria
2
Université Saad Dahlab, Soumaa, 09000 Blida, Algeria
3
Chair of Hydrogeology, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany
250 mm generally falling between October and March, followed by a dry period from April to September (Sidi Moussa 1996). The mean annual temperature is about 14.7 °C and the potential evapotranspiration is at about 1380 mm (Bouteldjaoui et al. 2012). The wadis of Zahrez basin have an intermittent flow regime, because the dry season is typically very long (6–8 months/year). The drainage network is very dense. It is const
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