关键词:
Regional flow
Numerical modeling
Fault-conduit flow
Groundwater age
Canada
摘要:
Shallow brackish groundwater is a significant issue affecting water supplies in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of the Grenville Province, Canada. A sample taken from a 45-m-deep well in 2023 returned a total dissolved solids value of around 30 g/l, which represents the most saline groundwater found in the region. To explain this anomaly, two-dimensional numerical simulations of groundwater flow and advective-dispersive age transport were conducted, along with isotopic analyses. The role of Saguenay Graben faults on deep brine migration to the surface was also investigated. Stable water isotopes and strontium isotope ratios suggest that brackish groundwater from fractured bedrock in the region represents a mixture between meteoric water and deep brines within the Precambrian Shield, which has experienced extensive water-rock interaction over geological time scales. Numerical models demonstrated that deep, old groundwater could upwell towards the surface within a regional hydraulic system. The results highlight that, under the imposed boundary conditions, vertical hydraulic gradients can sustain this deep upward flow. However, regional flow is less significant in comparison to local flow systems, which dilute the upwelling brine. The simulated deep groundwater ages, on the order of hundreds of millions of years, are similar to some ages of deep Precambrian Shield brines identified elsewhere in the Canadian Shield. Parametric tests suggest that graben faults facilitate groundwater upwelling and act as preferential pathways for deep and ancient groundwater. These findings help explain the presence of shallow brackish groundwater through the mixing of shallow freshwater and old groundwater.