| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Characterizing permeability at a regional scale where fracture distributions are heterogeneous can be aided by defining hydrostructural domains. A hydrostructural domain approach is applied to a fracture data set for Mayne Island. Models that statistically honor field data were constructed for representative stations for three hydraulically distinct, hydrostructural domains: “highly” fractured, interbedded mudstone and sandstone, “less” fractured sandstone, and fault and fracture zones (FZ). The possibility of increased infiltration rates within FZ domains, coupled with a high-storage potential relative to the other domains suggests that fault zones with similar characteristics are likely zones of recharge. As a result, these recharge zones have an increased capacity to store and transmit infiltrated water throughout the interconnected fracture network. This study demonstrates that hydrostructural domain modeling provides a good foundation upon which to simulate flow and transport in regional groundwater resource studies |
