Groundwater in Geologic Processes, Second Edition

Abstract

Groundwater in Geologic Processes was first published in 1998 as a result of a course of the same name presented by the authors at the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Training Center. This second edition is much expanded and addresses most aspects describing “how the occurrence and movement of groundwater affects a wide range of geologic processes in diverse environments.” These environments include not just regional groundwater flow systems, but also the hydrogeological environments of ore and petroleum deposition and the role of groundwater in earthquakes, compaction and diagenesis, metamorphism, evaporite formation, and even marine sediments and rocks. As might be expected given the authors' USGS affiliation, most examples are of American geosystems, although a few from Europe, Asia, and Canada are included. Had this book been written by members of the British Geological Survey instead of the USGS, the title might read Theoretical Hydrogeology: The Coupling of Geophysical Processes in Ancient and Modern Groundwater Systems . Coupling here refers to the book's theme of hydrogeological processes coupled to geomechanical, geothermal, and geochemical ones. For readers of this journal who have a most definite interest in applied rather than theoretical or “pure” hydrogeology, perhaps the most significant improvement in the second edition is the inclusion of text by Chris Neuzil, a geomechanically minded USGS hydrogeologist, as the third author. This has resulted in the incorporation of a superb introductory chapter on hydromechanical coupling and a later section on compaction added to that on diagenesis. The original authors, Steve Ingebritsen and Ward Sanford, have special expertise in hydrothermal systems and hydrogeochemistry, respectively, and their contributions on water-rock interactions comprise the bulk of the book. The first four chapters address the basic hydrogeological theory required …