Geology, geography and global energy

Scientific and Technical Journal

Geological and hydrogeological conditions of formation and the condition of underground waters Astrakhan-Caspian

2014. №1, pp. 084-091

Vakhidova Lolita M. - Students, Astrakhan State University, 1 Shaumyana sq., Astrakhan, 414000, Russian Federation,, Geologi2007@yandex.ru

Water is the most important natural resource. Among the variety of groundwater which is used for drinking, the underground fresh water is the most important one. The largest part of it reserves is concentrated in permanent ice and snow of Antarctica and Greenland, and also is concentrated in the deep aquifers of large artesian pools. The operational part of these resources are close to 200 thousand square km, which is less than 1 % of all fresh water and only 0,01 % of all water on the Earth. The distribution of the fresh water on the Earth’s surface is very inhomogeneous and most of the countries don’t have enough fresh water. The water scarcity and imperfect mechanisms of its distribution are potential causes of actual interstate conflicts. The particularly acute problem of finding fresh water is exists in Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region which is the Southern Federal District. There are only 2 % of localized groundwater in the Southern Federal District where is 1,2 cu. m / day of fresh water per person. The Southern regions are more developed and more densely populated than the Northern ones, but they are more experiencing an acute shortage of fresh water. The territory of Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region are in hydrogeological relevance to the North-Caspian region, and to the Caspian artesian pool, which is the closed discharge area of surface and groundwater of Russian lowlands. On the North Caspian region artesian territory primarily brackish, salty water and brines are developed. A characteristic feature of the hydrogeological region is the natural extension of mineralization down from the cut. Climate aridity, the excess of evaporation over precipitation (9260 mm / year), weak dissected relief, the presence of a thick layer of salt Kungurian actively manifested hydrochloric tectogenesis, neotectonic moves are affected on the formation aquifers containing these types of water. The analysis of the areal distribution of freshwater Astrakhan region shows that fresh water confined to the vaults and the slopes of active salt domes of having access to the surface in the vicinity of the lake Baskunchak. This placement of water due to the fact that in such areas, the conditions for active water-free precipitation and filtration of brackish is water displacement atmospheric freshwater. Along with natural factors the cause of water scarcity and reduction of operational water resources is the anthropogenic pollution of surface and underground waters.

Key words: drinking fresh water,hydrosphere,water consumption,fresh water aquifers,water exchange,salt domes,trucks,pollution,

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