Large-scale mapping of hard-rock aquifer properties applied to Burkina Faso.
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.
Courtois
Nathalie
N
Water Division, Hard Rock Aquifers Unit, Brgm (French Geological Survey), 1039 rue de Pinville, 34000 Montpellier, France. n.courtois@brgm.fr
Lachassagne
Patrick
P
Wyns
Robert
R
Blanchin
Raymonde
R
Bougaïré
Francis D
FD
Somé
Sylvain
S
Tapsoba
Aïssata
A
D002050:Burkina Faso; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D014872:Water Movements; D014881:Water Supply