Characterizing flow zones in a fractured and karstified limestone aquifer through integrated interpretation of geophysical and hydraulic data

A detailed and integrated geologic–hydraulic–geophysical–geochemical study of groundwater flow in the near-vicinity of a borehole drilled into fractured and karstified limestone demonstrates the power of such an integrated approach in localising and characterising preferential groundwater flow pathways and ambient borehole flow. The study, conducted in the vicinity of a 100-m-deep research borehole on the island of Mallorca, achieves such characterisation on a scale from millimetres to tens of metres in scale. More specifically, it adds single packer and open-hole pumping test interpretations to the results obtained during fluid logging, impeller flowmeter testing, borehole imaging, core descriptions and an innovative fracture analysis. This approach allows the delineation of the main flowing features and showed that such features are directly or indirectly linked to karst phenomena. Understanding this complex flow system is critical for an appropriate assessment of groundwater resources and the design of sustainable groundwater production schemes.