Geologic Controls on Chemical Migration in Fractured and Carbonate Aquifers

Call for Abstracts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Minnesota are co-sponsoring a theme session on Geologic controls on chemical migration in fractured and carbonate aquifers (Theme Session - T28) at the 2007 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, October 28-31, 2007. The objective of the session is to provide a forum to present and discuss multidisciplinary research on the physical and chemical processes that control the transport of chemical contaminants in fractured and carbonate aquifers. Interested scientists are encouraged to submit an abstract. Both oral and poster presentations will be considered. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is July 10, 2007.

Theme Session Summary

The effective management of ground water resources frequently requires information on the travel time and temporal persistence of chemical constituents in the subsurface, as well as their spatial distribution from either distributed or points sources. In carbonate and fractured rock aquifers, the complex connectivity of fractures, conduits, and other highly permeable features offers a significant challenge to the characterization of chemical migration. In addition, the primary porosity of the rock and lower permeability fractures and conduits may result in extended residence times of chemical constituents. ÊIn many instances, the interpretation of controlled tracer tests conducted under hydraulically stressed or ambient flow conditions are used to infer physical and chemical processes that may affect chemical migration in complex aquifers systems. The interpretations of the concentrations of environmental tracers and isotopes are also frequently used for this purpose. By integrating the interpretation of chemical data from fractured and carbonate aquifers with geologic controls on aquifer characteristics, there is the potential to obtain a better understanding of the fate of chemical constituents. This session seeks to bring together hydrologists, geochemists, geologists, and geophysicists who are working in fractured and carbonate aquifers to shed light on the geologic features that affect the fate of chemical constituents. Field, laboratory, and theoretical investigations that range over physical dimensions from meters to kilometers are of interest here. In addition, investigations from a wide range of geologic settings are welcome so that similarities and differences in geologic controls on chemical migration can be realized.

Conveners

• Allen M. Shapiro, USGS,
• E. Calvin Alexander, University of Minnesota,

General Conference Information

• Conference Home Page
• Abstract Submission Information
• Information on Theme Sessions

Selected Information on Contaminants in Fractured Rock from the USGS

• Transport Phenomena in Fractured Rock Research
• Hydrology of Fractured Rocks Research
• Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Sedimentary Rock, Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Research Site, West Trenton, New Jersey
• Multidisciplinary Characterization of Fluid Flow and Solute Transport in Fractured Rock, Mirror Lake, New Hampshire

Related Headlines

• New Paradigm for Fractured Rock Cleanup
• What Controls the Migration of Chlorinated Solvents in Fractured Rock?

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