Schematization of Converging Groundwater Flow Systems Based on 3D Geostatistics
Heriberto Morales de Avila,
Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira,
Julian Gonzalez-Trinidad,
María Vicenta Esteller-Alberich,
Raúl Ulices Silva-Ávalos,
Sandra Davila-Hernandez,
Juana Cazares-Escareño,
Carlos Francisco Bautista-Capetillo
Affiliations
Heriberto Morales de Avila
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Hugo Enrique Júnez-Ferreira
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Julian Gonzalez-Trinidad
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
María Vicenta Esteller-Alberich
Centro Interamericano de Recursos del Agua (CIRA), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Cerro de Coatepec, Ciudad Universitaria, Toluca 50130, Mexico
Raúl Ulices Silva-Ávalos
Licenciatura en Ciencia y Tecnología del Agua, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Sandra Davila-Hernandez
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Juana Cazares-Escareño
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Carlos Francisco Bautista-Capetillo
Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas “Francisco Garcia Salinas”, Unidad Academica de Ingeniería Electrica, Campus UAZ Siglo XXI, Carretera Zacatecas-Guadalajara Km. 6, Ejido La Escondida, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico
Groundwater is the main source of freshwater available for human beings and is generally extracted through wells. The objective of this work was to schematize the groundwater flow systems within the Calera Aquifer through 3D geostatistical estimations of hydraulic head and physico-chemical parameters and the integration of hydrogeological features. The evolution of groundwater during its circulation in the subsoil can be done by identifying different types of flow (local, intermediate, regional, or mixed). Two main approaches have been proposed for the identification of flow systems: explaining the evolution of physico-chemical parameters of water through its interaction with the geologic medium, and using cluster analysis; however, these approaches usually do not consider simultaneously the 3D distribution of hydraulic head, water quality parameters, and the geological media that can be useful to delineate converging flow systems with a differentiated origin. In this paper, the determination of groundwater flow systems within the Calera aquifer in Mexico is supported with 3D representations of these hydrogeological variables besides constructive data of the sampled well. For the case study, the convergence of different flow systems that are not identified through a single cluster analysis was actually noticed by the proposal done in this paper.
