Hydrogeology of the Minjur Aquifer System in the Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia

224 Pages·2017·7.39 MB·English

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Master's Theses Graduate College
4-1979
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Ibrahim A. Al-Jallal
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Al-Jallal, Ibrahim A., "Hydrogeology of the Minjur Aquifer System in the Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia"
(1979). Master's Theses. 1955.
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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
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1312909
AL-JALLAL, IBRAHIM ABDULLAH
HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE MINJUR AQUIFER
SYSTEM IN THE RIYADH REGION,
SAUDI ARABIA.
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, M.S., 1979
University
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IBRAHIM ABDULLAH AL-JALLAL
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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 Area...................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
Lithology............................... 15
Structures and environment...............26
Outcrop and thickness ................ 27
Formation contacts .................... 30
A g e ..................................... 31
III HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE RIYADH REGION...........32
iii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
Ground-Water Occurrence .................. 32
General................................ 32
Unconfined aquifers .................... 32
Confined aquifers ...................... 34
IV THE MINJURA QUIFERS....................... 35
Nature of The Aquifer.................... 35
Origin of The Water in The
Minjur Aquifer ........................ 38
Aquifer Properties ...................... 39
Porosity.............................. 39
Specific yield and specific
retention............................ 40
Permeability and trans-
missibility.......................... 41
Storage coefficient .................... 44
Well Test................................ 46
Data analyses.......................... 59
1. Jacob's m e thod................... 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
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
Recharge of The Aquifer....................102
Recharge area............................ 102
Precipitation .......................... 103
Runoff.................................. 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 Aquifer................ 116
Evaporation............................ 116
Transpiration ........................... 118
Wells.................................... 119
Distribution of wells and
history of developments ............. 119
Exploitation of wells ................. 122
Water Quality..............................130
General.................................. 130
Salinity distribution ................... 133
Quality at Riyadh........................135
1. Conductivity...................... 135
2. p H ................................ 136
3. Bicarbonate........................ 136
4. Hardness.......................... 136
5. Chloride.......................... 137
6. Sulphate.......................... 137
7. Fluoride.......................... 138
Possibility of contamination .......... 138
v
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
Quality of The Minjur
New Well fields........................143
Quality of shallow aquifers ............. 143
Water Temperature..........................144
Safe Yield and Balance....................147
Developments in The Riyadh Water
Supply..................................151
V CONCLUSION.................................. 166
VI BIBLIOGRAPHY................................ 169
VII APPENDICES.................................. 176
Appendix A ................................176
Appendix B ................................177
Appendix C ................................178
Appendix D ................................179
vi
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