The Developing Conditions, Controlling Factors, Characteristics of Recharge
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M 21st Congress KftBST HYDBOGEOLOOY AND KARST ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION 10-15 October 1988 GUILIN.CHINA THE STUDY OF DISU UNDERGROUND RIVER SYSTEM, DU»AN COUNTY, GUANGXI Chen Wenjun The Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology Party of Guangxi, China ABSTRACT The developing conditions, controlling factors, characteristics of recharge, runoff, discharge and hydraulic dynamics and water resources of Disu under ground river system, the biggest one in South China, have been studied from 1959 to 1980. The system with a total length of 241.1 km and catchment area 1004 km^ consists •of 12 branches. The karst conduits in the upper reaches i s simple, vein structure in the middle reaches and networks in the lower reaches. The river system is characterized by multi-level structure, flow velocity 4- 10 km/d, max. discharge 544.9m3/s and annual discharge 1.2xl09 m3. Disu underground river system is situated in the irtia-westera Du'an County, 107 ° 40'-108 ° 07!E and 23°458- 2 4°12'N. The cave exploring, water tracing, drilling, hydrogeologic tests, infra-red remote sensing, electric prospecting, well logging, seismic survey, electromagne- tism prospective between the boreholes, very low frequency electromagnetism, radioactivity, gravity p rospecting etc. have been employing to systematically study the river system in the periods of 1959-1960, 1971- 1973 and 1976-1980 and upto now.. Seme profitable results h ave been obtained. 543 DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER SYSTEM 1. Development conditions and controlling factors The mid-upper Devonian, mid-upper Carbonifereous and Permian pure limestones, dolomitic limestones and less dolomites are distriuted in Disu area. The total thickness of carbonate rocks is 4000 m. During the India- Sinian, Yanshan and Himalayan tectonic movements, the formations' have been folded and fractured with the main structural line oriented in NNW direction. The studied area is sat on the slope from Yunnan- Guizhou Plateau to Guangxi Hills-Plain.. The annual average temperature is 21.3'C and the precipitation 1738.7 mm. As the water flows along the bedding and openings, the karstification is very strong [Since the Quaternary, the mean erosion rate 80.7 mm/ky, but modern rate 76.5 mm/ky]. The Fengcong at an altitude of 600- 1100 m and Fenglin in the elevation of 3 60-510 m develop very well. A great amount of rainwater rapidly transfers into groundwater through the numerous caverns and fissures in the depressions and poljes. The water cycles very strongly. The long-time seasonal and periodical concentrating rainfall in short time has resulted in the flood-rush erosion which is the main cause of Disu underground river system formation. The lithology controls the intensity of karstifica- tion. The ground river system basically develops in pure limestones. The geologic structures mainly affect the direction of underground rivers. The upper reaches of the trunk course develops along the SE compressed-sheared fractures, in the middle reaches, along the regional structure line and bedding, but in the lower reaches develops along SE compressed-sheared faults again. Most branches are distributed along NE tentioned-sheared faults except the Nanjiang branch along the syncline axial and fractured zones. The intermittent and déclinai uprising due to the Neotectonic movements have formed the greater gradient of underground rivers and the water falls at the knick- 544 poLnts, therefore the longitudinal profile is step-like and- with multi-levels. The underground water flows from Guizhou Plateau to Guangxi, and the river trunk and branches have been developed along the valleys since the Early Pleistocene. The gradients of the surface and underground river are very similar. The palaeotopography has affected the trend anci development of the rivers. The rainfall and temperature directly influence the intensity of karstification, developing and dimensions of underground rivers. 2- "Development of underground river system Before Hongshui river formed, the Du'an valley was the catchment basin of surface and subsurface waters, including Nanjiang and Disu valleys. At present, the drainage pattern is still remained in the rainy seasons. TO T3W OIH^AHOOHCIYH TO <ÏAM JAOITYJAWA I. on aH300T2I3JTOa3M Ml A3HA U3 Id i snsooJaislqo^M io >(91 lav w<h srfT—S ; snsaoiaislq itaa îo "olkv ravn sdT—I 545 During the Early Pleistocene, Hongshui river was formed and became the drainage base for both surface and groundwater, Du'an lake was cut through and dried out. Thus the surface-and groundwater round Du'an basin flow into Hongshui river. According to the estimation, the annual precipitation in the Mid-Pleistocene was 2600-3000 mm. The surface- and ground drainage systems were developed [mean erosion rate about 130-155 mm/ky]. Currently, the upper reaches of the trunk course and branches in the mid-upper reaches of Disu system flow into Disu, Dongmiao and Latang-Nanjiang valleys and then pass Beizhaikou to Du'an valley and pouring into Hongshui river [Fig.l]. In the same period, the passages along Zhengxing, Shanlong, Gutong and Dongmiao were connected together from south' to north and gradually captured groundwater and surface water flowing along the fracture zones on Tengyi-Hongwei anticline. The original Disu underground river system had been formed [Fig.2] later. During the Late-Pleistocene and Holocene, as the regional climate changed and the rainfall reduced, the new con duits became small and some near the eastern part were gradually wasted. The trunk conduit was mainly recharged from the western area and slowly moved westernwards to form the middle channel of the modern main river. Since the Late Pleistocene, Lengu-Qingshui underground river continuously headerosed and cut through Kutong-Daihuai watershed. It connected the northern large underground river system to form the framework of present Disu under ground river system [Fig.3]. DIMENSIONS ÂHD FRAMEWORK 1. Dimension Disu underground river system has a total length of 241.1 km [main course 57.2 km], the area of 1004 km2, and mean discharge 38 m /s. The lower reaches of the trunk course is generally several tens metres wide and 10. to tens metres high of river bank; with a water-flow cross section 145-184 m ,• in the middle part, it is about 10 to tens metres wide and 10 to several metres high; the upper reaches is only several to 20-30 m wide and 10 to several metres high. 546 The branches are much smaller, 2. Framework Most branches are distributed on the west side of the main channel and constitute the asymmetric pattern. The intermittent uplift of earth crust has created 4 levels of the passages; in the lower reach, they are 10- 20, 30-40, 45-55 and 70-85 m deep below ground surface being 155 m a.s.l., and commonly 10-20 m and 45-55 m deep. The hydraulic gra dient near watershed is 1-10%ousually , in the sp'Bannong upper reaches average 11-13 «/éoand in the mid- lower reaches only \o/ao. The tributaries water often falls downto the main course. The frac ture-shaped cross sec- tionsof the underground river channels often occur in the upper reaches but in the lower reaches as the large i\ arched orroundedforms. £d In the upper FIG. 2 ANALYTICAL MAP OF EMBRYONIC PERIOD reaches of the under OF THE DISU UNDERGROUND RIVER ground river system, the 1—The underground river and their outlet ; 2 — VsUey. simple tube flow is pre dominant and the groundwater table is about 100 m deep or more below ground surface, It is the vein water system in the middle reaches and the complicated network system with 30-50 m deep in the lower reaches often occurs[Fig.4]. DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS !• Recharge and discharge The groundwater of the system is mainly recharged, by meteroic water. The closed Fengcong-depression and Fenglin valley are favourable to recharge groundwater and its movement, The efficient infiltration coefficient of 547 meteroic water is 0.5-0.8- [average 0.66]. Because tne metroic water immediately turns into the groundwater, the recharge areas are duplicated with the runoff areas; in some regions the discharge areas also cover the formers. Qingshui resurgence of Disu underground river system just drains a part .of water in the system, other flows out from the early resurgences of the system to form the seasonal surface river during flood seasons e.g. Disu and Latan streams. FIG.3 SKETCH MAP OF THE DISU UNDERGROUND RIVER SYSTEM 1—Outlet of the underground river; 2—The underground river; 3—Numbers of the underground river; 4—The boundaries of drainage area aromïd the underground river system in D*su. 2° Hydraulic dynamic featux'es and water-flow velocity The hydraulic dynamic characters is greatly different from the upper to lower reaches. In some 'places, it is the compressed conduits full of ground water, but some are uncompressed one with free water surface. Generally the underground river system is mainly uncompressed turbulent flow. In the upper reaches, the turbulent uncompressed flow is common. Usually, the compressed flow is in the middle reaches, but in the lower reaches, the laminar and turbulent flows, uncom- c ,1 a pressed and compressed flows commonly alter nate, i.e. uncompressed -ff flow in dry season and Banqin' compressed flow in flood season. The va .// rieties of movement, hydraulic gradient, ' '.WJpiarr^tletl flow velocity and corn- VI pressure properties are \1 11 F^~ 0 100 axim" changed with different seasons, sometime the FIG.4 SKETCH MAP OF NETTY UNDER variance is opposite. GROUND RIVER CHANNELS OF THE In somewhere, the QINGSHUI OUTLET SECTION watershed of groundwa ter and its boundary of recharge, runoff and discharge regions also alternate from time to time. The groundwater flow in some areas is very fast but in some places very slow especially in the deep karst ponds and lakes.