Downloaded from http://sp.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 24, 2021 Towards prediction of saturated-zone pollutant movement in groundwaters in fractured permeable-matrix aquifers: the case of the UK Permo-Triassic sandstones JOHN H. TELLAM & RONALD D. BARKER Hydrogeology Research Group, Earth Sciences, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Birmingham University, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK (e-maik J.H.
[email protected]. uk; R.D. Barker@bham. ac. uk) Abstract: The UK on-shore Permo-Triassic sandstones are fluvial and aeolian red beds showing a nested cyclic architecture on scales from millimetres to 100s of metres. They are typical of many continental sandstone sequences throughout the world. Groundwater flows through both matrix and fractures, with natural flow rates generally of less than 200 m year-1. At less than 30 m horizontal distances, below important minimum representative volumes for both matrix and fracture network permeability, breakthroughs are likely to be multimodal, especially close to wells, with proportionately large apparent dispersivities. 'Antifractures' - discontinuities with permeability much less than that of the host rock - may have a dominating effect. Where present, low-permeability matrix (e.g. mudstones) will significantly affect vertical flow, but will rarely prevent eventual breakthrough. Quan- titative prediction of breakthrough is associated with large uncertainty. At scales of 30 to a few 100s of metres, multimodal breakthroughs from a single source become less common, although very rapid fracture flow has been recorded. At distances of hundreds of metres to a few kilometres, there is evidence that breakthroughs are unimodal, and may be more immediately amenable to quantitative prediction, even in some cases for reacting solutes.