Migmatite morphologies and their potential impact on groundwater availability using hydrostructural approach: A case study of Rimin Zayam migmatitic terrane

Abstract

The groundwater occurrence, movement, and potential in basement rock terrain are con-
trolled by geological structures like foliations, faults, shear, and folds which are commonly
referred to as lineaments revealing that migmatite terrane serves as a conduit for migra-
tion has exhibited variable yields of groundwater movement. Major targets in groundwa-
ter exploration surveys in basement terrains occur in areas having foliation, weathering of
considerable thickness, and/or where fracturing and jointing. The investigation discovered
two significant fracture types for the area, low yield, and high yield, which run in the NW-SE
directions, foliation plane (NNE-SSW and E-W) (conduit) as well as a structurally controlled
drainage pattern. Because their presence is structurally driven, groundwater exploration
in the area should be centered along NW-SE and NNE-SSW directions (predominantly),
high-yield fracture is attenuated to metatexite migmatite and low yield mostly associated
with diatexite trending NW-SE and NE-SW cross-cutting the foliation in the migmatite. The
results reveal a good agreement between the trends of fractures derived from the sur-
face manifestation and foliation for groundwater availability making high foliation indicate
intense fracturing and thus, indicate areas of high groundwater potentiality. It may be con-
cluded that the occurrence, distribution, and movement of groundwater are influenced
and impacted by geological structures which have direct control as well as lithology. This
research has improved our understanding of groundwater occurrence and distribution.