Improving the Methods for Processing Hard Rock Aquifers Boreholes’ Databases. Application to the Hydrodynamic Characterization of Metamorphic Aquifers from Western Côte d’Ivoire

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 22; p. 3219
• Main Authors: Aoulou, Kouassi Aristide, Pistre, Severin, Oga, Yéï Marie Solange, Dewandel, Benoît, Lachassagne, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-11-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Aquifers; Boreholes; Earth Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Fractures; Geological mapping; Geology; groundwater; Groundwater discharge; hydrogeological conceptual model; linear discharge; Metamorphic rocks; Mining; mining impacts; Permeability; Population; Rocks; Rural areas; saprolite; Sciences of the Universe; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Surface water; Topography; water strike; Y.M.S; B; Lachassagne; Oga; Dewandel; saprolite; weathered fractured layer; Pistre; mining impacts; linear discharge; S; Aoulou; hydrogeological conceptual model; P. Improving the Methods for Processing Hard Rock Aquifers Boreholes' Databases groundwater; water strike; K.A
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w13223219

Statistical analysis of a borehole database, linear discharges, and water strikes processing enabled an understanding of the structure, geometry and hydrodynamic properties of the metamorphic hard rock aquifers from the Montagnes District, Western Côte d’Ivoire. The database comprises 1654 boreholes among which 445 only were usable for this research work after its pre-processing. Analysis shows that the structure of the aquifer is similar to that observed in several other areas in the world: it developed due to weathering processes, comprises the capacitive saprolite, 10–20 m thick on average, and an underlying transmissive fractured layer, overlying the unweathered impermeable hard rock. The fractured layer is 80 m thick, the first 40 to 45 metres being its most productive zone, with a 11.3 m3/h median productivity. This research shows that metamorphic aquifers exhibit similar aquifer properties (thickness, hydrodynamic parameters) as plutonic ones and that there is interest in using such databases for research and other purposes. However, a rigorous pre-treatment of the data is mandatory, and geological data from published maps must be used instead of the geological data from the database. A previous methodology aiming at processing the boreholes’ linear discharges was improved. It notably appears that the slope method must be preferred to the percentile method.