GEOL 423 (Hydrogeology), 041

Syllabus

 

Instructor: Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani                  

Office Location: 3-103

Telephone: 860-4002

Office Hours: as posted

 

Text Book:

 

Fetter, C. W.  2001.  Applied Hydrogeology, 4th  Edition.  Prentice-Hall.

 

Reference Books:

 

I recommend you supplement this textbook with readings from the following (and other) valuable references:

·        Schwartz, F. and H. Zhang, 2003.  Fundamentals of Ground Water, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

·        Domenico, Patrick and F. Schwartz, 1998.  Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology, 2nd Edition.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.

·        Freeze and Cherry. 1979. Groundwater.  Printice Hall.

·        Driscoll, 1986. Groundwater and Wells, 2nd Ed. Johnson screens, St. Paul, Minnesota.

·        Bear, Jacob.  1979.  Hydraulics of Groundwater.  McGraw-Hill, New York.

 

Although this course has no lab, we will take some time from lectures to demonstrate some hydrogeological concepts in the Hydrogeology/ Environmental Laboratory (room 26-208).

 

You are also encouraged to attend departmental seminars, and browse the Internet for matters related to groundwater; classroom instruction and assignments should not be your only source for scientific education.

 

 

Course Objectives:

 

This course will cover the basic concepts of the theory and geology of groundwater occurrence and flow, including:

·        Introduction to the hydrology of surface and groundwater supplies;

·        Water bearing properties of rocks;

·        Hydrodynamics of flow through porous media;

·        Flow nets;

·        Well hydraulics;

·        Occurrence of groundwater in various rock types and sediments;

·        Introduction to groundwater chemistry and contaminant hydrogeology;

·        Field techniques in groundwater exploration and survey.

·        Introduction to groundwater modeling

·        Groundwater occurrence in Saudi Arabia

____________________________________________________________

Grading:

Flexible curve rather than fixed scale

Two major exams:                  30% (15% each)

Final exam:                             25%

Homework and quizzes:         25%

Project:                                    15%

Attendance and participation   5%.                 (missing 9 classes without excuse = DN)


 

DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE

 

WEEK #, DATE,           TOPIC

READING ASSIGNMENT

HW

Week 1 (Sept. 11-15)           

 

 

1. Introduction

 

 

·Course Introduction

·Syllabus

·Hydrogeology and Hydrology

1.1, 1.2

 

·Historical development of hydrogeology

·Why study groundwater

handout, 1.6

1.7, 1.8

 

·Groundwater and the hydrologic cycle

·Hydrologic equation

1.3

1.5

2, 4, 6

 

 

 

Week 2 (Sept. 18-22)

 

 

2. Elements of the Hydrologic Cycle

 

 

·         Evaporation, Transpiration, Evapotranspiration

·         Condensation & Formation of Precipitation

2.1, 2.2, 2.3

2.4, 2.5

 

·         Measurement of Precipitation

·          Effective Depth of Precipitation

·          Events during Precipitation.

2.6

2.7 + handout

2.8

Lab-1, Lab-2

Due Oct. 6

 

 

 

Week 3 (Sept. 25-29)

 

 

3. Properties of Aquifers

 

 
Porosity of Earth Materials.
Specific Yield
Hydraulic Conductivity of Earth Materials

3.2

3.3

3.4

 

·Darcy’s experiment

·Permeameters

 

3.5

 

·Water Table

·Aquifers

·Water-Table and Potentiometric Surface Maps

·Aquifer Characteristics

3.6

3.7

3.8 + handout

3.9

4, 6, 8, 10, 20

analysis (a)

p. 109

Week 4 (Oct. 2-6)

 

 

·Compressibility and Effective Stress

·Homogeneity and Isotropy

·Gradient of the Potentiometric Surface        

3.10

3.11

3.12

 

4. Principles of Ground-Water Flow

 

 
Introduction
Hydraulic Head
Darcy's Law.

4.1

4.3

4.6

 

 

 

 

Week 5 (Oct. 9-13)

 

 
Equations of Ground-Water Flow.
Solution of Flow Equations.
Gradient of Hydraulic Head.
Relationship of Ground-Water-Flow Direction to Grad h.

4.7

4.8

4.9

4.10

Analysis A

p. 147

8, 10, 12, 17
Flow Lines and Flow Nets
Steady Flow in a Confined Aquifer.
Steady Flow in an Unconfined Aquifer.

4.11

4.13

4.14

 

5. Ground-Water Flow to Wells

 

 
Introduction
Basic Assumptions
Radial Flow
Computing Drawdown Caused by a Pumping Well

5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4.1,  5.4.3

 

Week 6 (Oct. 16- 20)

 

 

·Determining Aquifer Parameters from Time-Drawdown Data

5.5.1, 5.5.2,  5.5.3.1, 5.5.5

 

 

·Intersecting Pumping Cones and Well Interference

·Effect of Hydrogeologic Boundaries

5.8

 

5.9

2, 5, 10, 12, 14,

19 (AQTESOLV)

*****EXAM I  October, 18, 2004******

 

 

 

 

 

Week 7 (Oct. 23 - 27)

6. Soil Moisture and Ground-Water Recharge

 

 
Introduction
Porosity and Water Content of Soil
Capillarity and the Capillary Fringe
Pore-Water Tension in the Vadose Zone

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

 
Soil water
Theory of Unsaturated Flow
Water-Table Recharge

6.5

6.6

6.7

Analysis A

2

 

 

 

Week 8 (Oct. 30 – Nov. 3)

8. Geology of Ground-Water Occurrence

 

 

·         Introduction

·         Unconsolidated Aquifers

·         Lithified Sedimentary Rocks

·         Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks

·         case study: Madinah

·         Ground Water in Desert Areas

 8.1

8.2.2, 8.2.3

8.3

8.4

 

8.6

 

·         Coastal-plain aquifers

·         Fresh-Water-Saline-Water Relations

·         Tidal Effects

8.7

8.8

8.9

 

·         Water resources of Saudi Arabia

·         Groundwater regions in Saudi Arabia

handout

2

Week 9 (Nov. 20 - 24)

 

 

9. Water Chemistry.

 

 
Units of Measurement
Types of Chemical Reactions in Water

9.2

9.3

 
Carbonate Equilibrium
Oxidation Potential
Ion Exchange

9.8

9.10

9.11

 
Isotope Hydrology
Major Ion Chemistry
Presentation of Results of Chemical Analyses
Case study (Basaltic aquifer, alluvium aquifer)

9.12

9.13

9.14

handout

2, 14

 

Week 10 (Nov. 27 – Dec. 1)

 

 

10. Water Quality and Ground-Water  

        Contamination

 

 
Introduction
Water-Quality Standards
Collection of Water Samples
Ground-Water Monitoring

10.1

10.2

10.3

10.4.1, 10.4.3

 
Mass Transport of Solutes
Ground-Water Contamination

10.6

10.7

 
Ground-Water Restoration
Case History: Ground-Water Contamination at a Superfund Site
Capture-Zone Analysis.

10.8

10.9

 

10.10

2, 8

Week 11 (Dec. 4 - 8)

 

 

11. Ground-Water Development and Management

 

 

·         Introduction

·         Dynamic Equilibrium in Natural Aquifers

·         Ground-Water Budgets

·         Management Potential of Aquifers

11.1

11.2

11.3

11.4

 

·         Paradox of Safe Yield

·         Artificial Recharge

·         Protection of Water Quality in Aquifers

11.5

11.7

11.8

 

·         Ground-Water Mining and Cyclic Storage

·         Global Water Issues

11.9

11.11

 

Week 12 (Dec. 11 -15)

 

 

12. Field Methods

 

 

·         Introduction

·         Fracture-Trace Analysis

12.1

12.2

 

·         Surficial Methods of Geophysical Investigations

·         Geophysical Well Logging

12.3

12.4

 

·         Hydrogeologic Site Evaluations

·         Responsibilities of the Field Hydrogeologist

·         Project Reports

12.5

12.6

12.7

 

 

 

 

Week 13 (Dec. 18 -22)

 

 

13. Ground-Water Models.

 

 

·Introduction

·Applications of Ground-Water Models

·Data Requirements for Models

13.1

13.2

13.3

 

·Finite-Difference Models

·Finite-Element Models

·Use of Published Models

13.4

13.5

13.6

 

 

 

 

******Exam II Monday, December 20, 2004****

 

 

Week 14 (Dec. 25-29)

 

 

·MODFLOW Basics

·Visual MODFLOW

·Geographical Information Systems

·exercise

13.7

13.8

13.9

Analysis A. p. 531

Airport problem

 

Week 15 (Jan 1 – 3)

 

 

REVIEW

 

 

Jan 4 - 13

Final Exams

 

 

 

 

Selected Journals for reference (available at KFUPM Library)

 

Journal                                                                      Call No.                                 web site

 

Geology                                                                                QE 1.G528

Journal of Geological Society                                           QE 1.G4

Geological Society of America Bulletin                           QE 1.G15

AAPG Bulletin                                                                       TN 860.A8

Water Resources Research                                             GB 651.W32

Journal of Contaminant Hydrology                                   http://www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications/store/5/0/3/3/4/1/

Ground Water                                                                       GB 1001.G75