Genesis of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer

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Publication Date

January 2019

Abstract

The San Antonio segment of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer of south-central Texas is one of the most important and prolific karst aquifers in the United States. Extending from Kinney County (west) to Hays County (northeast), it is the primary source of water for the municipal and agricultural communities surrounding the greater San Antonio area. Deposited in Early Cretaceous time, rocks of the Edwards Group vary from 150 to 300 m thick and include eight members with highly variable hydraulic attributes and solubility. Its complex tectonic, weathering, and geologic history has allowed dissolution of the highly soluble members to form a highly transmissive karst aquifer. Regionally, the Balcones fault zone provides pathways that allow captured streams to flow into the aquifer in the contributing and recharge zones.Karstification of the aquifer has occurred by multiple processes, both epigenic and hypogenic, with visual documentation obvious in numerous caves of the area. Currently, overprinting of hypogenic systems by epigenic systems is common. The en echelon down-to-the-south faulting of the Balcones fault zone has resulted in deep burial of the aquifer in the artesian zone, with dissolution at depth driven by numerous processes, including infiltration of chemically aggressive surface water, hydraulic head, mixing corrosion, and biogenic acids. Well production in the artesian zone is commonly limited only by the discharge rate of the pump. The Edwards Aquifer is also noted for its diverse and widespread aquifer-adapted fauna, implying that the aquifer has a well-integrated karst conduit system.

Document Type

Article

Identifier

SFS0072123_00001

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