Structural controls on bedrock weathering in crystalline basement terranes and its implications on groundwater resources.

ABSTRACT: Crystalline basement rock aquifers underlie more than 20% of the earth's surface. However, owing to an inadequate understanding of geological structures, it is challenging to locate the groundwater resources in crystalline hard rock terranes. In these terranes, faults, fractures, and shear zones play an important role in bedrock weathering and ultimately groundwater storage. This study integrates important geological structures with 2D high-resolution subsurface resistivity images in understanding the factors that influenced bedrock weathering and groundwater. The results reveal the variability of weathered zone depth in different structural zones (Zone-I to Zone-IV). This is due to the presence of foliations, fractures, and faults. A thicker weathered zone develops when a fracture/fault o

SUBMITTER: Pradhan RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9276672 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature