Derivation of groundwater flow-paths based on semi-automatic extraction of lineaments from remote sensing data

U Mallast,S Geyer,T Rödiger,C Siebert,R Gloaguen

doi:10.5194/hess-15-2665-2011

Abstract

Abstract. In this paper we present a semi-automatic method to infer groundwater flow-paths based on the extraction of lineaments from digital elevation models. This method is especially adequate in remote and inaccessible areas where in-situ data are scarce. The combined method of linear filtering and object-based classification provides a lineament map with a high degree of accuracy. Subsequently, lineaments are differentiated into geological and morphological lineaments using auxiliary information and finally evaluated in terms of hydro-geological significance. Using the example of the western catchment of the Dead Sea (Israel/Palestine), the orientation and location of the differentiated lineaments are compared to characteristics of known structural features. We demonstrate that a strong correlation between lineaments and structural features exists. Using Euclidean distances between lineaments and wells provides an assessment criterion to evaluate the hydraulic significance of detected lineaments. Based on this analysis, we suggest that the statistical analysis of lineaments allows a delineation of flow-paths and thus significant information on groundwater movements. To validate the flow-paths we compare them to existing results of groundwater models that are based on well data.

Highlights

Information on groundwater are scarce in many parts of the world, where they are essential for ensuring sustainable socio-economical and ecological growing of economies
After Hobbs (1904) introduced the term lineament, it has been used in different fields as indicator for remote structural interpretation of the respective areas of interest
The proposed semi-automatic method of deriving groundwater flow-paths based on extracted lineaments and auxiliary information contains several advantages

Summary

Introduction

Information on groundwater are scarce in many parts of the world, where they are essential for ensuring sustainable socio-economical and ecological growing of economies. This requires collecting data in remote or inac-. After Hobbs (1904) introduced the term lineament, it has been used in different fields (e.g. petrology, geology and hydrogeology) as indicator for remote structural interpretation of the respective areas of interest. To prove the applicability of lineaments as indicators for either fault systems or assumable preferential groundwater flow-paths, many authors compared both features and revealed a strong correlation in shallow and deeper aquifers (Fernandes and Rudolph, 2001; Oguchi et al, 2003; Salvi, 1995; Sander et al, 1997)

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