Compaction of clay aquitard: Principle, technology and hydrogeological significanc

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2021.2.10

Abstract

Abstract:

The interaction between aquitard and aquifer is a global hot topic in the field of hydrogeology, especially the interaction between clay aquitard and pore aquifer. In the past few years, affected by natural and human activities such as natural deposition, excessive exploitation of groundwater, and use of modern agricultural and heavy construction machinery, clay aquitard can become compacted and result in property changes, including increase of effect stress, pore deformation, decreases of porosity, permeability, dissolved oxygen and water storage capacity, and lateral and vertical drainage. Nowadays, land subsidence and groundwater pollution caused by clay aquitard compaction have become important global environmental issues. In this paper, we introduce the theory of clay compaction, analyze the relationship between sediment compaction and pore liquid pressure under four different states in groundwater system, review the compaction study methods and technology based on physical simulation and numerical modeling, and discuss the effect of clay compaction on the water and groundwater qualities. The trend of aquitart research and its potential applications in Earth sciences and environmental sciences are also discussed.

Key words: clay, aquitard, compaction, hydrogeochemistry

CLC Number:

P641.2

LIU Yanjun, MA Teng, DU Yao, LIU Rui. Compaction of clay aquitard: Principle, technology and hydrogeological significanc[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2021, 28(5): 59-67.

Figures/Tables 1

References 105

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