Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Groundwater Potential Modeling in the Crystalline basement of Tamanrasset Area, Southern Algeria

Abstract

The study area is part of the crystalline basement in the South of the country, which is characterized by a Saharan climate and field with a very complicated hierarchy of relief structures. These structures imprint a multilayer aquifer system (alluvial aquifer, cracked rock aquifer....). The aquifer during exploitation is the alluvial deposits, but the amount of water exploited does not meet the needs of the population.

The cracked rock aquifer, despite its large distribution and the importance of reserve point in the study area, remains poorly known due to the complexity and heterogeneity of the fracturing network and the difficulty of estimating the degree of evolution of this system. Thus, the evaluation and calculation of the hydrodynamic parameters of this aquifer remain relative and imprecise.

To deal with this problem, we chose to work on the Tamanrasset sub-basin. This study aims to explain, on the one hand, the relationship between morphology and fracturing in association with groundwater flow and, on the other hand, to identify probable zones with high aquifer potential. This requires a variety of knowledge while using modern methods of remote sensing and GIS, where the analysis and processing of data is done using special software. This remote sensing method is based on photo interpretation of satellite images and automatic extraction of lineaments. All information layers have been integrated through GIS analysis and the main axes of groundwater flow have been delineated.  The reliability of the results of this method is verified by in situ tests.