C H A P T E R I
HYDROGEOLOGY OF ARID REGIONS
Stanley N. Davis
I. Introduction
1
II. Laws of Groundwater Motion
3
III. Applications of Flow Equations
7
IV. Groundwater Recharge
11
V. Circulation of Groundwater
13
VI. Groundwater Discharge
15
VII. Water Quality
18
VIII. Large-Scale Groundwater Circulation
20
A. Nubian Aquifer
21
B. Great Artesian Basin of Australia
23
C. Carbonate Aquifers of Eastern Nevada
25
IX. Artificial Changes in the Hydrogeology of Deserts
27
References
28
It is a laid circle of stones large enough not to be disturbed by
any ordinary hap, with an opening flanked by two parallel rows
of similar stones, between which were an arrow placed, touching
the opposite rim of the circle, thus it would point as the crow flies
to the spring. It is the old, indubitable water mark of the
Shoshones.
Mary Austin. The Land of Little Rain.
I. Introduction
From the standpoint of the total water present, most deserts are abundantly supplied. Unfortunately, the water is generally more than 100
meters below the surface, and even where it does reach the surface, it may
have a high salinity. If the water quality is good, however, the influence
on local plant and animal communities is profound. The understanding
1