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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1979 Hydrogeology of the Minjur Aquifer System in the Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia Ibrahim A. Al-Jallal Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Hydrology Commons Recommended Citation Al-Jallal, Ibrahim A., "Hydrogeology of the Minjur Aquifer System in the Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia" (1979). Master's Theses. 1955. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1955 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE MINJUR AQUIFER SYSTEM IN THE RIYADH REGION, SAUDI ARABIA by Ibrahim A. Al-Jallal A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Science Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1979 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere thanks to Dr. W. Thomas Straw for his guidance and patient supervision of my work. Dr. Richard N. Passero and Dr. William B. Harrison III read the manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions. Dr. W. David Kuenzi provided some helpful advice. I am especially indebted to Mr. Mohammed Abu Butain, Director of the Riyadh Water Works and Maintenance for supplying references available elsewhere, to Dr. Ahmed A. Al-Muhandis for providing an office space in which to work, to Mr. Mustafa Nuri, Chairman of the Geology Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Water for his cooperation, and Mr. Ahmed Al-Audan, Geologist with the Department forvhis help in providing access to files and for providing valuable cor­ respondence while I was in the United States. Mr. Sulaiman Abu Mustafa, Geologist, provided valuable assistance and communicated with me during the course of the study. The Intairdrill Company provided transportation to the tested well. To all these people, I extend my deepest thanks. Ibrahim A. Al-Jallal ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or “target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “Missing Page(s)” . I f it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the Him along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image o f the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. I f necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For any illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and tipped into your xerographic copy. Requests can be made to our Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases we have filmed the best available copy. University Microfilms International 300 N. ZEEB ROAD. ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 18 BEDFORD ROW. LONDON WC1 R 4EJ. ENGLAND Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1312909 AL-JALLAL, IBRAHIM ABDULLAH HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE MINJUR AQUIFER SYSTEM IN THE RIYADH REGION, SAUDI ARABIA. WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, M.S., 1979 University Microfilms International s o o n z e e s r o a d , a n n a r b o r , m i 4 8 io 6 @ 1979 IBRAHIM ABDULLAH AL-JALLAL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed 1n the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been Identified here with a check mark . 1. Glossy photographs ______ 2. Colored illustrations ______ 3. Photographs with dark background ______ 4. Illustrations are poor copy ______ 5. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page ________ 6. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages i / throughout 7. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine ______ 8. Computer printout pages with indistinct print ______ 9. Page(s) lacking when material received, and not available from school or author ______ 10. Page(s) ______ seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows ______ 11. Poor carbon copy ______ 12. Not original copy, several pages with blurred type ______ 13. Appendix pages are poor copy V ^ 14. Original copy with light type ______ 15. Curling and wrinkled pages / 16. Other ___ University M icrofilm s International 300 N ZEES HD.. ANN ARBOR. Ml .18106 '3131 761-4700 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I INTRODUCTION .............................. 1 Purpose ................................ 1 Location ................................ 1 Climate ................................ 3 Geomorphology and Drainage .............. 5 II GENERAL GEOLOGY ............................. 10 Stratigraphy of The A r e a ................... 10 The limestone plateau ................ 10 1. Arab Formation ....................... 10 2. Jubailah Formation ................. 10 3. Hanifah Formation ................. 12 4. Tuwaiq Mountain Limestone ........ 12 The marl plain ........................... 13 1. Dhruma Formation ................... 13 2. Marrat Formation ................... 13 The sandstone plain to the Arabian Shield ...................... 14 Structure of the A r e a ..................... 15 Minjur Sandstone ........................ 15 L i t h o l o g y ............................... 15 Structures and environment ............... 26 Outcrop and thickness ................ 27 Formation contacts .................... 30 A g e ..................................... 31 III HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE RIYADH REGION ........... 32 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER PAGE Ground-Water Occurrence .................. 32 G e n e r a l ................................ 32 Unconfined aquifers .................... 32 Confined aquifers ...................... 34 IV THE MINJURAQUIFERS ....................... 35 Nature of The Aquifer .................... 35 Origin of The Water in The Minjur Aquifer ........................ 38 Aquifer Properties ...................... 39 P o r o s i t y .............................. 39 Specific yield and specific r e t e n t i o n ............................ 40 Permeability and trans- missibility .......................... 41 Storage coefficient .................... 44 Well T e s t ................................ 46 Data analyses .......................... 59 1. Jacob's method ................... 59 2. Specific capacity, total drawdown, well loss, aquifer loss and well efficiency ........ 61 3. Dupuit formula method ............. 70 4. Eden-Hazel method ................. 71 5. Theis recovery method ............. 72 Other measurements .................... 80 Peizometric Surface ...................... 82 Movement of The Water .................... 95 Age of The W a t e r ........................ 98 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER PAGE Recharge of The Aquifer .................... 102 Recharge area ............................ 102 Precipitation .......................... 103 R u n o f f .................................. 105 Infiltration ........................ 106 Recharge from sand d u n e s ............... 107 Recharge from clay z o n e s ............... 110 Recharge determination ................ 110 Tectonic controls ...................... 112 Water Reserves ............................ 113 Discharge of The A q u ifer ................ 116 Evaporation............................ 116 Transpiration ........................... 118 W e l l s .................................... 119 Distribution of wells and history of developments ............. 119 Exploitation of wells ................. 122 Water Quality .............................. 130 G e n e r a l .................................. 130 Salinity distribution ................... 133 Quality at R i y a d h ........................ 135

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