Foreword‌

More than half the global population lives where fresh groundwater occurs in fractured rock, either near the surface or as aquifers beneath unconsolidated material. Structural Geology Applied to Fractured Aquifer Characterization presents a geological perspective on the fractures and the fracture networks in rock with a focus on groundwater. This book is important because the literature about fractured rock hydrogeology is sparse relative to that of unconsolidated deposits and karst. Groundwater in fractured rock is more complex and it is expensive to install boreholes for investigations, consequently information about fractured aquifers is limited.

This book uses structural geology to understand fractures and fracture networks. As such, to fully benefit from this book, the reader needs some knowledge of structural geology as provided in an introductory course or textbook. The authors explain how to take an organized approach to visual observations at rock outcrops, illustrated by abundant photographs and conceptual diagrams to encourage spatial thinking. Information about fracture architecture is essential for understanding rock porosity and permeability based on borehole observations and hydraulic tests. In addition to combined interpretation of fractures mapped on outcrops with borehole observations and tests, use of aerial photographs and Google Earth observations of lineaments on the land surface provide information on structural geology to better locate water wells in bedrock.

The authors of this book have conducted applied research in structural geology, rock mechanics, and groundwater in fracture networks over decades and in many countries. Dr. Amélia Fernandes is a research geologist at the Institute of Geology of the Regional Government of São Paulo State in Brazil who lectures at the Geosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Alain Rouleau is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Québec at Chicoutimi, Canada, with a career in hydrogeology with emphasis on fractured rock. Dr. Eurípedes Vargas Jr. is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he teaches and conducts experimental research on rock mechanics with emphasis on the hydromechanics of fractured media. Their combination of expertise and experience gives readers a unique view of groundwater in fractured rock.

John Cherry, The Groundwater Project Leader

Guelph, Ontario, Canada, December 2022