title: Large-scale mapping of hard-rock aquifer properties applied to Burkina Faso.
abstract: A country-scale (1:1,000,000) methodology has been developed for hydrogeologic mapping of hard-rock aquifers (granitic and metamorphic rocks) of the type that underlie a large part of the African continent. The method is based on quantifying the "useful thickness" and hydrodynamic properties of such aquifers and uses a recent conceptual model developed for this hydrogeologic context. This model links hydrodynamic parameters (transmissivity, storativity) to lithology and the geometry of the various layers constituting a weathering profile. The country-scale hydrogeological mapping was implemented in Burkina Faso, where a recent 1:1,000,000-scale digital geological map and a database of some 16,000 water wells were used to evaluate the methodology.
authors.affiliation: Water Division, Hard Rock Aquifers Unit, Brgm (French Geological Survey), 1039 rue de Pinville, 34000 Montpellier, France. n.courtois@brgm.fr
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Courtois
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lachassagne
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wyns
authors.forename: Raymonde
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blanchin
authors.forename: Francis D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Bougaïré
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Somé
authors.forename: Aïssata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tapsoba
mesh_terms: D002050:Burkina Faso; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D014872:Water Movements; D014881:Water Supply