Simulations of Flow in Crystalline Rock and Recharge from Overlying Glacial Deposits in a Hypothetical New England Setting

Abstract

AbstractCross‐sectional, finite‐difference, steady‐state ground‐water‐flow models of a generalized New England landscape were constructed to examine the effects of hydraulic conductivity and topography on bulk‐fluid flow processes in fractured crystalline rock. The generalized landscape consists of a flat hilltop, a hillside that has a slope of 0.17 ft/ft, and a flat river valley. It includes three hydrogeologic units, stratified drift in the river valley, glacial till, and underlying crystalline rock.Distribution of recharge to and discharge from bedrock is affected by the presence of small topographic features, such as terraces on the hillside. Most of these terraces consist partly or entirely of sand, and they create localized areas of recharge to and discharge from bedrock. Maximum recharge to bedrock commonly occurs at downward inflections of the water table, and discharge occurs at upward inflections of the water table. These inflections of the water table are associated with inflections in topography because the shallow depth of water on hilltops and hillsides resemble the configuration of the land surface.Regional ground‐water flow in crystalline rock and distribution of bedrock recharge and discharge are also affected by heterogeneities in hydraulic conductivity of the bedrock. Vertical heterogeneity creates short, shallow flow paths in high‐relief terrain. Horizontal heterogeneity causes large variations in the size of bedrock recharge areas; in some cases the difference from homogeneous conditions is more than 50 percent.