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The amount of groundwater in fractured rocks of hilly country deducted from measurements of low flow in creeks.
[Ermittling der Grundwassermengen in den Festgesteinen der Mittelgebirge aus Messungen des Trockenwetterabflusses.]

K.U. Weyer Ph.D., P.Geol., P.HG.
WDA Consultants Inc., 4827 Vienna Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

© 1971 K. U. Weyer (Published in 1972 in Geologisches Jahrbuch.)



Abstract

Several conceptual rnodels are described which are useful for the evaluation of the hydrogeological patterns of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge. In these mountains groundwater flows in fractures, joints, bedding joints and cleavage planes of bedrock.

The subterranean part of the water cycle can be discussed using the systerns approach. It then becomes obvious that the traditional water balance equation is not applicable to these catchment areas. The hydraulic pattern of bedrock and groundwater recharge can be determined from the discharge of the channels.

The hydraulic patterns of the catchment area can best be described using the groundwater flow systems of HUBBERT and TOTH.

In both bedrock and residual soil the water flows within two different systems of flow paths. In soil the moisture, whith is determined by transpiration of plants, has a threshold value which regulates groundwater recharge during the vegetation period. In spite of this the main groundwater recharge is not influenced by vegetation since this recharge does not occur during the vegetation period.

The long time yields of bedrocks can be determined by comparison of different regional distributions of simultaneaus one time measurements of discharge. These are surprisingly high.

The data series of the hydrogeological measurement stations allow us to compute the groundwater discharge of a catchment area and the infiltration into the bedrock. By means of recession curves it should be possible to determine the characteristic hydraulic and hydrogeologic pattern of several bedrock of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge.

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