Stable isotopes show that earthquakes enhance permeability and release water from mountains

Hydrogeological properties can change in response to large crustal earthquakes. In particular, permeability can increase leading to coseismic changes in groundwater level and flow. These processes, however, have not been well-characterized at regional scales because of the lack of datasets to descri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2020-06, Vol.11 (1), p.2776-2776, Article 2776
Main Authors: Hosono, Takahiro, Yamada, Chisato, Manga, Michael, Wang, Chi-Yuen, Tanimizu, Masaharu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
140/58
704/242
704/4111
Aquifer systems
Aquifers
Computational fluid dynamics
Earthquakes
Geology
Groundwater
Groundwater levels
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrogeology
Isotope ratios
Isotopes
Moisture content
Mountains
multidisciplinary
Permeability
Rupture
Rupturing
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Seismic activity
Seismic response
Soil infiltration
Soil permeability
Soil water
Stable isotopes
Upwelling
Water levels
Water table
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Summary:Hydrogeological properties can change in response to large crustal earthquakes. In particular, permeability can increase leading to coseismic changes in groundwater level and flow. These processes, however, have not been well-characterized at regional scales because of the lack of datasets to describe water provenances before and after earthquakes. Here we use a large data set of water stable isotope ratios ( n  = 1150) to show that newly formed rupture systems crosscut surrounding mountain aquifers, leading to water release that causes groundwater levels to rise (~11 m) in down-gradient aquifers after the 2016 M w 7.0 Kumamoto earthquake. Neither vertical infiltration of soil water nor the upwelling of deep fluids was the major cause of the observed water level rise. As the Kumamoto setting is representative of volcanic aquifer systems at convergent margins where seismotectonic activity is common, our observations and proposed model should apply more broadly. The authors investigate the groundwater table changes in the Kumamoto region (Japan) following the 2016 M w 7.0 Kumamoto earthquake. Through detailed isotope analysis the study shows how earthquakes can rupture the crust and generate new pathways for aquifers.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-16604-y