Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China
Abstract Rising water demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors continue to stress water resources worldwide. In southeastern China, coastal cities and megacities typically rely on thousands of reservoirs, incurring high construction and maintenance costs. However, rural areas in thi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038754 |
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| author | Michele Lancia Lihong Yang Zhijie Liu Jianan Xu Jiang Yu Stefano Viaroli Junfei Zou Charles B. Andrews Chunmiao Zheng |
| author_facet | Michele Lancia Lihong Yang Zhijie Liu Jianan Xu Jiang Yu Stefano Viaroli Junfei Zou Charles B. Andrews Chunmiao Zheng |
| author_sort | Michele Lancia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Rising water demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors continue to stress water resources worldwide. In southeastern China, coastal cities and megacities typically rely on thousands of reservoirs, incurring high construction and maintenance costs. However, rural areas in this region, underlain by shallow, low‐permeability bedrock due to regional metamorphism, host exploitable groundwater resources along major tectonic fault lines. To understand groundwater dynamics in these fractured aquifers, this study investigates a local site in Longquan (Zhejiang Province, China). Field investigations informed a three‐dimensional geological model, which provided the basis for numerical flow modeling analysis using the USGS‐MODFLOW code. Results indicate that permeable damage zones along the tectonic fault lines are recharged by a weathered bedrock blanket layer and are laterally bounded by low‐permeability bedrock, limiting the spatial extension of the aquifer. The sub‐tropical climate and hydrostratigraphic conditions make groundwater exploitation feasible, despite the modest groundwater yield of the damage zones (2.2 × 105 m3 per km of damage zone). Intensified fracturing also produces recognizable morphological changes, transitioning from steep, incised valleys to rounded hills with flatter streambeds. This distinctive morphological feature was identified in 140 basins across southeastern China, suggesting the presence of strategic groundwater resources throughout this region. Harnessing these fracture‐controlled groundwater resources may bolster economic growth in rural communities and help narrow the development gap with more urbanized coastal areas. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7d975634cf9a4eb491a87db0760004da |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-7d975634cf9a4eb491a87db0760004da2025-08-20T03:30:56ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732025-03-01613n/an/a10.1029/2024WR038754Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern ChinaMichele Lancia0Lihong Yang1Zhijie Liu2Jianan Xu3Jiang Yu4Stefano Viaroli5Junfei Zou6Charles B. Andrews7Chunmiao Zheng8Eastern Institute for Advanced Study Eastern Institute of Technology Ningbo ChinaState Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water‐Groundwater Pollution Control School of Environmental Science and Engineering Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen ChinaSUSTech Environmental Inc. Shenzhen ChinaEastern Institute for Advanced Study Eastern Institute of Technology Ningbo ChinaEastern Institute for Advanced Study Eastern Institute of Technology Ningbo ChinaDepartment of Earth Sciences University of Pisa Pisa ItalySUSTech Environmental Inc. Shenzhen ChinaS.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc. Rockville MD USAEastern Institute for Advanced Study Eastern Institute of Technology Ningbo ChinaAbstract Rising water demand for agricultural, industrial, and domestic sectors continue to stress water resources worldwide. In southeastern China, coastal cities and megacities typically rely on thousands of reservoirs, incurring high construction and maintenance costs. However, rural areas in this region, underlain by shallow, low‐permeability bedrock due to regional metamorphism, host exploitable groundwater resources along major tectonic fault lines. To understand groundwater dynamics in these fractured aquifers, this study investigates a local site in Longquan (Zhejiang Province, China). Field investigations informed a three‐dimensional geological model, which provided the basis for numerical flow modeling analysis using the USGS‐MODFLOW code. Results indicate that permeable damage zones along the tectonic fault lines are recharged by a weathered bedrock blanket layer and are laterally bounded by low‐permeability bedrock, limiting the spatial extension of the aquifer. The sub‐tropical climate and hydrostratigraphic conditions make groundwater exploitation feasible, despite the modest groundwater yield of the damage zones (2.2 × 105 m3 per km of damage zone). Intensified fracturing also produces recognizable morphological changes, transitioning from steep, incised valleys to rounded hills with flatter streambeds. This distinctive morphological feature was identified in 140 basins across southeastern China, suggesting the presence of strategic groundwater resources throughout this region. Harnessing these fracture‐controlled groundwater resources may bolster economic growth in rural communities and help narrow the development gap with more urbanized coastal areas.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038754fracturingfault damage zonesgroundwaterMODFLOWwater management |
| spellingShingle | Michele Lancia Lihong Yang Zhijie Liu Jianan Xu Jiang Yu Stefano Viaroli Junfei Zou Charles B. Andrews Chunmiao Zheng Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China Water Resources Research fracturing fault damage zones groundwater MODFLOW water management |
| title | Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China |
| title_full | Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China |
| title_fullStr | Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China |
| title_short | Undervalued Groundwater Resources Over the Major Tectonic Lines of Southeastern China |
| title_sort | undervalued groundwater resources over the major tectonic lines of southeastern china |
| topic | fracturing fault damage zones groundwater MODFLOW water management |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038754 |
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