Skip to main content
Log in

Rock mass permeability classification schemes to facilitate groundwater availability assessment in mountainous areas: a case study in Jhuoshuei river basin of Taiwan

  • Article
  • Published:
Geosciences Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study proposes an application of the classical rock mass classification concept on the estimation of in situ hydraulic conductivity of regolith and fractured bedrock which can be utilized to evaluate groundwater potential in mountainous areas. On the basis of boring logs, borehole televiewer image data, and double packer hydraulic test data conducted in the Basin of Jhuoshuei River of central Taiwan with the aid of bivariate analysis, two rock mass permeability classification systems (Hydro-Potential value for Regolith (HPR) and Hydro-Potential value for Bedrock (HPB) System) were developed. By regression analysis, the dependence of HPB/HPR on in situ hydraulic conductivity was performed, and two empirical models for estimating in situ hydraulic conductivity were derived. Meanwhile, two derived models were validated through the comparison against results from other types of hydraulic test data (pumping and single packer tests). Therefore, the development of the empirical models for a groundwater-related project enables to help the planning of detailed investigations for the determination of hydraulic conductivity with cost-effectiveness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abesser, C. and Lewis, M., 2015, A semi-quantitative technique for mapping potential aquifer productivity on the national scale, example of England and Wales (UK). Hydrogeology Journal, 23, 1677–1694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adedokun, T.A. and Abubakar, A., 2016, Relationship between hydraulic conductivity of rock and rock quality designation of Itisi multi-purpose dam. International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication, 4, 126–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baiocchi, A., Dragoni, W., Lotti, F., Piacentini, S., and Piscopo, V., 2015, A multi-scale approach in hydraulic characterization of a metamorphic aquifer: what can be inferred about the groundwater abstraction possibilities. Water, 7, 4638–4656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bear, J., 1972, Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media. American Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 764 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bethke, C.M. and Corbet, T., 1988, Linear and non-linear solutions for one-dimensional compaction flow in sedimentary basins. Water Resources Research, 24, 461–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bieniawski, Z.T., 1973, Engineering classification of jointed rock masses. Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, 15, 335–344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, J.H., 1987, Flow and flow mechanisms in crystalline rock. In: Goff, J.C. and Williams, B.P.J. (eds.), Fluid Flow in Sedimentary Basins and Aquifers. Geological Socienty, London, Special Publications, 34, p. 185–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, A., 1977, Groundwater movements around a repository-regional groundwater analysis. KBS Technical Report, Kaernbraenslesaekerhet, Stockbolm, 54:03, 116 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson, A. and Olsson, T., 1977, Variations in hydraulic conductivity in some Swedish rock types. Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Storage in Excavated Rock Caverns: Rockstore 77, Stockholm, Sep. 5–8, 2, p. 301–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chilton, J. and Foster, S.S.D., 1995, Hydrogeological characteristics and water-supply potential of basement aquifers in tropical Africa. Hydrogeology Journal, 3, 36–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.G., and Aiken, L.S., 2003, Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (3rd edition). Routledge, New York, USA, 703 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daniel, W.W., 1990, Applied Nonparametric Statistics (2nd edition). PWSKENT Publishing Company, Boston, 656 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deere, D.U., Hendron, A.J., Patton, F.D., and Cording, E.J., 1967, Design of surface and near surface construction in rock. Proceedings of the 8th U.S. Symposium on Rock Mechanics (USRMS), American Rock Mechanics Association, Minneapolis, USA, Sep. 15–17, p. 237–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donigian Jr., A.S., 2000, HSPF training workshop handbook and CD, lecture #19, calibration and verification issues, slide #L19-22. Report, EPA Headquarters, Washington Information Center, Presented and prepared for US EPA, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, Washington, DC, USA, 30 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Naqa, A., 2001, The hydraulic conductivity of the fractures intersecting Cambrian sandstone rock masses, central Jordan. Environmental Geology, 40, 973–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, S., 2012, Hard-rock aquifers in tropical regions: using science to inform development and management policy. Hydrogeology Journal, 20, 659–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gates, W.C.B., 1997, The hydro-potential (HP) value: a rock classification technique for evaluation of the ground-water potential in fractured bedrock. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, 3, 251–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamm, S.-Y., Kim, M., Cheong, J.-Y., Kim, J.-Y., Son, M., and Kim, T.-W., 2007, Relationship between hydraulic conductivity and fracture properties estimated from packer tests and borehole data in a fractured granite. Engineering Geology, 92, 73–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazen, A., 1930, Water Supply. American Civil Engineers Handbook, Wiley, New York, 1900 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, S.M., Ke, C.C., Lin, Y.T., and Hung, C.C., 2011a, Ground-water exploration in regolith-bedrock aquifer: a case study in the basins of Mid-Jhuoshuei river and Beigang river, central Taiwan. EGU General Assembly 2011, Vienna, Austria, Apr. 03–08, 13, EGU2011-3140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, S.M., Lo, H.C., Chi, S.Y., and Ku, C.Y., 2011b, Rock mass hydraulic conductivity estimated by two empirical models. In: Dikinya, O. (ed.), Developments in Hydraulic Conductivity Research. IntechOpen, p. 133–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, S.M., Chung, M.C., Ku, C.Y., Tan, C.H., and Chi, S.Y., 2008, A rock mass classification scheme for estimating hydraulic conductivity of fractured rocks, Geocongress 2008, New Orleans, USA, Mar. 9–12, Geotechnical Special Publication, 179, p. 452–459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, S.-M., Lin, J.-J., Chen, N.-C., Lin, Y.-T., and Huang, C.-C., 2012, Identification of groundwater potential site in Taiwan mountainous region. 2012 AGU Fall Meeting, American Geophysical Union, San Francisco, USA, Dec. 3–7, p. 1326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. and Farmer, I.W., 1993, Fluid Flow in Discontinuous Rocks. Springer Netherlands, 170 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J.-J., Chou, P.-Y., Hsu, S.-M., Chi, S.-Y., Lin, Y.-T., and Huang, C.-C., 2013, Spatial distribtution of potential water-bearing zone in the mountainous region of Taiwan. IAHS-IAPSO-IASPEI Joint Assembly 2013, Gothenburg, Sweden, Jul. 22–26, Hw10S1.07.

    Google Scholar 

  • Louis, C., 1974, Rock hydraulics in rock mechanics. International Centre for Mechanical Sciences, 165, 299–387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maréchal, J.C., Dewandel, B., and Subrahmanyam, K., 2004, Use of hydraulic tests at different scales to characterize fracture network properties in the weathered-fractured layer of a hard rock aquifer. Water Resources Research, 40. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004WR003137

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, J.M., Allen, D.M., Gibson, H.D., and Mackie, D.C., 2014, Application of statistical approaches to analyze geological, geotechnical and hydrogeological data at a fractured-rock mine site in Northern Canada. Hydrogeology Journal, 22, 1707–1723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NASEM, N.A.o.S.E.a.M., 2015, Characterization, Modeling, Monitoring, and Remediation of Fractured Rock. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 181 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • NRC, N.R.C., 1996, Rock Fractures and Fluid Flow: Contemporary Understanding and Applications. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 551 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmstrom, A., 2005, Measurements of and correlations between block size and rock quality designation (RQD). Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 20, 362–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, K., 1896, Mathematical contributions to the theory of evolution III: regression, heredity and panmixia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 187, 253–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qureshi, M.U., Khan, K.M., Bessaih, N., Al-Mawali, K., and Al-Sadrani, K., 2014, An empirical relationship between in-situ permeability and RQD of discontinuous sedimentary rocks. Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 19, 4781–4790.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S.S. and Wilk, M.B., 1965, An analysis of variance test for normality (complete samples). Biometrika, 52, 591–611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singhal, B.B.S. and Gupta, R.P., 1999, Applied Hydrogeology of Fractured Rocks (1st edition). Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, 400 p.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Singhal, B.S.S. and Gupta, R.P., 2010, Applied Hydrogeology of Fractured Rocks (2nd edition). Springer, New York, 408 p.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, D.T., 1970, The frequency and apertures of fractures in rock. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts, 7, 23–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitz, K. and Moreno, J., 1996, A Practical Guide to Groundwater and Solute Transport Modeling. Wiley, New York, 480 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, Z.Q., Egger, P., and Descoeudres, F., 1995, Permeability predictions for jointed rock masses. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts, 32, 251–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weight, W.D., 2008, Hydrogeology Field Manual. McGraw-Hill, New York, 751 p.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan [MOST 105-2218-E-019-004-]. Additionally, the authors express their gratitude to the Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan for offering hydrogeological raw data used in this study. The authors are also grateful for the data collections and preparations by Miss Y.S. Chiu.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shih-Meng Hsu.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hsu, SM., Hsu, JP., Ke, CC. et al. Rock mass permeability classification schemes to facilitate groundwater availability assessment in mountainous areas: a case study in Jhuoshuei river basin of Taiwan. Geosci J 24, 209–224 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-019-0017-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-019-0017-8

Key words

Navigation