Abstract
Study regionOur study region is the Aconcagua basin, central Chile. The catchment, home to over 500,000 people, currently experiences a multiyear drought that threatens water security. In this context, there is an impending need to explore unconventional groundwater resources, such as peripheral hard rock and deep aquifers. Study focusThe focus of this study is the application of machine learning techniques to identify areas of potentially untapped groundwater resources in the middle and upper reaches of the Aconcagua basin. New hydrological insights for the regionMachine learning classifiers accurately depict those areas known for their high groundwater potential, including the San Felipe, Putaendo, Panquehue, Catemu and Llay-Llay sectors. The Mesozoic sedimentary sequences and intrusive units of the coastal range, together with the Neogene units of the Andes range, are correctly identified as areas of very low hydrogeological interest. A major novelty of this study is the delineation of several new areas of potentially high groundwater prospect, namely, the geological domain associated with the Pocuro fault system, the Teatinos-Volcan-River fault system, and the Las Chilcas volcano-sedimentary sequence, in the Chacabuco Range. These findings are in line with the results of complementary studies, thus suggesting that machine learning applications may successfully underpin groundwater exploration across other groundwater basins in the coastal Andean region.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.