ADVANCED HYDROGEOLOGY

{MGELEC-1, M.Sc. Semester – IV}

GROUND WATER PROVINCES OF INDIA

PRAHLAD KUMAR ARYA

Assistant Professor
Department of Geology, Patna Science College
Patna University
Mob: 9771777977
Email: [email protected]
 HYDROGEOLOGICAL UNITS OF INDIA

Geological Age Rock Formations States / Hydrogeological

Characters
UNCONSOLIDATED FORMATIONS
Pleistocene a) Fluvio- a) Mixed  The moraine deposits occupy
to Recent glacial Boulders, valleys and gorges in interior
deposits Cobbles, Sands Himalayas.
b) Glacio- and Silts.  Karewas (Kashmir Valley) are
Lacustrine b) Conglomerates, lacustrine deposits displaying
deposits Sand, Gravels, cyclic layers of clay, silt and
Carbonaceous, coarse deposits with intervening
Shales and Blue boulder beds.
Clays  Locally forms significant
hydrogeological potential.

c) Piedmont c) Boulders,  The Bhabhar piedmont

and Cobbles, Pebble belt contains many
Himalayan Beds, Gravels, productive boulders,
Foot Hill Sands, Silt and cobble, gravel and sand
deposits. Clays aquifers.
 The water table is deep.
Forms recharge zone for
deeper aquifer of alluvial
plains in south.
 Tarai belt is down slope
continuation of Bhabhar
aquifers.
 The deeper confined
aquifer display flowing
artesian conditions.

d) Alluvial d) Clay, silt,  Occur extensively in the

Plains Gravel and Sand Indo-Gangetic-
(Older & layers Brahmaputra alluvial plain
Newer e) Lenses of Peat and forms prolific
Alluvium) and Organic aquifers.
matters,  The potentials of
Carbonate and peninsular rivers alluvium
Siliceous are rather moderate. But
Concretions the alluvial valley fill
(Kankar). deposits of Narmada, Tapi,
Purna basins, are 100 m
thick and sustain good
yield.
  Multi-layer aquifers of
North Gujarat are
moderate to high potential
aquifers.
 The quality of ground
water at deeper level is
inferior.
 Thick alluvial sequences
in deltas of major rivers on
the eastern coast and in
Gujarat estuarine tracts.
 Hydrogeological potential
is limited due to the
pevalent salinity hazards.

e) Aeolian f) Very fine to fine The Aeolian deposits occurring in

Deposits Sand and Silt. major parts if the Rajasthan,
(Sandstones) Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab
have moderate to high yield
potentials; are well sorted and
permeable; lie in arid region;
natural recharge is poor and water
table is deep.
SEMI-CONSOLIDATED FORMATIONS
Tertiary a) Nummulitic  The Hydrogeological
shales and potential of these
Limestone formations is relevant only
b) Carbonaceous in the valley areas.
Shale,  Lower Siwaliks and their
Sandstones, equivalents in Himachal
Shales, Pradesh, Jammu &
Conglomerates Kashmir, Assam, Punjab,
c) Ferruginous Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,
Sandstones Sikkim generally do not
d) Pebble Beds form potential aquifers.
and Boulder,  The Upper Siwaliks have
Conglomerate, moderate ground water
Sands, Clays potential specially in
suitable topographic
locations.
 Tertiary sandstones of
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kutch,
Kerala, Orissa, Tami Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, West
 Bengal and North Eastern
States have moderate to
good yield potentials.

Geological Age Rock Formations States / Hydrogeological

Characters
Upper a) Gondwanas a) Boulder-  Occur in Jharkhand,
Carboniferous Pebble Maharashtra, Andhra
to Jurassic b) Jurrasic of beds Pradesh, Orissa,
Kutch and b) Sandstones, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan Shales Coal Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Seams Rajasthan and Tamil
c) Bagh beds, c) Sandstone, Nadu
Lameta Calcareous  These formations do
formations Sandstone, not have wide regional
and Shale, distribution.
Equivalents Quartzites  Karstified limestone are
d) Limestone good water yielder.
 Friable sandstones in
Barakars and Kamthis
(Lower Gondwana) and
their equivalent
formations possess
moderate to good
ground water potential.
CONSOLIDATED FORMATIONS :
Jurrasic, Rajmahal Traps, Basalt, Dolerite, Occur in West Bengal,
Upper Diorite and other Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Cretaceous to Deccan Traps acidic derivatives Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra
Eocene of Basaltic Pradesh, Karnataka.
magma Yield up to 5 liters per second.
Unconfined shallow aquifers
and leaky, confined deep
aquifers
Pre-Cambrian Cuddapah, a) Consolidated Occur in all the states.
(2500Ma to Vindhyan, Delhi sandstone, shale,
541Ma) and equivalent conglomerate Granites and granite gneisses
systems b) Limestone, Dolomite with high secondary porosity-
c) Quartzite, Marble permeability and highly
d) Intrusive Granites weathered zones forms
e) Malani Volcanics productive aquifers.

Archaean Archaean f) Granite, Gneiss,

(4000Ma to Complexes, Charnokites and Khondalite
2500Ma) g) Schist, Slate,
Dharwar, Aravallis Phyllite, Granulite.
h) Banded Hematite
Quartzite (Iron ore series)
 TAYLOR’S (1959) CLASSIFICATION OF GROUND WATER PROVINCES OF INDIA
Geologic Ground water System/Formation Hydrogeological
Age Provinces Characteristics
Archean to 1. PRECAMBRIAN Delhi System, Dharwar Occurances generally in
Proterozoic CRYSTALLINE group, highly Weathered,
PROVINCE Arawalli Systems Jointed, Fractured, faulted
Zones, Large diameter
dug Well,
Archean to 2. PRECAMBRIAN Cuddapah System, Weathered, bedding
Proterozoic SEDIMENTARY Vindhyan and Kurnool planes, Joints, Solution
PROVINCE System, Raipur and passages in Karstified
Indravati Series zones, Dug wells up to
50m depth.
Late 3. GONDWANA Gondwana System, Structural Basins,
Carboniferous SEDIMENTARY Jabalpur series, Grabens, faulted and
to early PROVINCES Himmatnagar sandstone, Folded belt, Dug wells,
Cretaceous Umia,Series, Lathi Series Tube wells, Rotary
drilling, Constitutes
Prolific aquifers at some
favorable places.
Late Cretaceous 4. DECCAN TRAP Deccan Traps, Basalt flows Volcanic products,
to early Eocene PROVINCES and Intertrappean beds Intertrappean beds,
Weathered- vesicles,
Jointed, Contact zones,
Dug well, Bore well,
Eocene to 5. CENOZOIC Palna and Nagaur Coastal plains, Artesian
Pliocene SEDIMENTARY Sandstone, Cuddaoure, aquifers, Saline at some
PROVINCE Rajamundry and Athgarh places,
sandstones, Quilon, Moderate to good ground
Dwaraka beds water yield potential.
Pleistocene to 6. CENOZOIC Narmada and Tapi, Purna Valley filled deposits,
Recent FAULT BASINS rivers valley moderate yield potential,
saline in some places
Late tertiary to 7. GANGA- Vast plain of Ganga- Thick-widespread
recent BRAHMAPUTRA Brahmaputa river and alluvium deposits,
ALLUVIAL tributaries, enormous thickness could be reach
PROVINCE Alluvium deposits in the .>1000m, Bhabar, Terai
foredeep between the and Axial belts, line of
Himalayas and the Springs, well sorted, high
Peninsula porosity and permeability,
Dugwell, tube well,
percussion, rotary
drilling, Prolific Aquifer
formations, high yield
potential
Archaean to 8. HIMALAYAN Varied rocks types, Intensely folded,
Recent HIGHLAND sandstone, Slate, faultedvalleys, deep
PROVINCE Limestone, Shale Granites, gorges, Springs, Dug
Metamorphic variants wells, yield could reach to
100 to 200m3/h at thick
alluvium formations.

India is a vast country with complex geologic, geomorphologic, climatic and tectonic
settings which develops variety of hydrogeological and hydrochemical aquifer systems.
The Water bearing rock formations range in age from Archaean to Recent.

With respect to ground water storage, yield potential, movement and other hydrogeological
characteristics, rock formations can be broadly classified as two groups.

 POROUS FORMATION
 FISSURED FORMATION

1. POROUS FORMATION

A. Unconsolidated Formation

 Fluvial, Aeolian, Glacial, Lacustrine, Marine:

o Boulder, Gravel, Sand, Silt, Clay

 High to very high Porosity-Permeability and Specific

yield potential.
 Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra alluvial plain, East and
West coast of India,
 River deltas of India, Valley fills.

B. Semi-Consolidated Formation

 Mostly in narrow valleys

 Structurally Faulted basins

 Gondwanas, Lathis, Tipam, Cuddalor sandstone and

their equivalents.
2. FISSURED FORMATION

A. Plutonic Igneous and Metamorphic rocks (excluding volcanic and carbonate

rocks)

 Granite, Gneiss, Charnockites, khondalites, Quartzite, Schists, Phyllite,

Slate etc.
 Possess negligible primary porosity
 Secondary Porosity-permeability due to Fractures, Joints, Weathering.

 Spread in almost every parts of the India, Peninsular India.

B. Volcanic rock

 Basalt flow, Intertrappean beds,

 Primary porosity due to Vesicular voids, tuff, Ash Breccia, volcanic
pipes and tunnels.
 Permeability due to weathering, Columnar fractures, joints, Interflow
contacts.
 Poor to moderate Yields, some places good yield potential.

 Central and Western parts of India: Maharashtra, Madhya

Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan

C. Consolidated Sedimentary rock (excluding carbonate rocks)

 Sandstone, Quartzite, Conglomerate, Shale

 Bedding planes, Joint openings, fractures

 Cuddapah, Vindhyan, and equivalents

D. Carbonate rock

 Limestone, Dolomites, Calcareous Shale, Marbles

 Solution cavities, Sink holes and Caverns

 Cuddapah, Vindhyan, Bijawar group of rocks

Taylor’s classification of Groundwater Provinces (1959)
For further studies and References:

 Karanth K R, (1987) Ground water assessment development and management. McGraw

Hill Education(India) Private Limited.
 Nagabhushaniah H.S. (2001) Groundwater in Hydrosphere, cbs publication & distribution
 Krishnan M. S, (2016, 6th edition), Geology of India and Burma, cbs publication &
distribution
 http://cgwb.gov.in/documents/Waterquality/GW_Quality_in_shallow_aquifers.pdf
 http://cgwb.gov.in/MAP/PRINCIPAL%20AQUIFER.pdf
 http://cgwb.gov.in/Maps.html
 https://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/groundwater-maps-india