Modelo Matemático Preliminar de la Cuenca Baja del río Chambo (CBRCH) : Modelación preliminar del flujo subterráneo en la Cuenca Baja del río Chambo, Provincia de Chimborazo

Abstract

In this project, a preliminary mathematical model of the groundwater flow movement in the lower basin of the Chambo River, Chimborazo (Ecuador) is proposed based on the conceptual model of groundwater flow by Procel et al. (2023) to model the dynamics of groundwater flow, water levels, and the main aquifer units. Using previous information, a geological and hydrogeological database was used in the modeling of the basin in MODFLOW 6. The results include the Geology of the study area, the petrographic description of four rock samples from the principal units that constitute aquifers, the thicknesses of the aquifer strata, and the hydrogeological parameters. Finally, we determined the mathematical model, the phreatic and piezometric levels, and the water balance of the CBRCH. The mathematical results were correlated with previous data, confirming through modeling the characteristics of the aquifer levels in the basin and their behavior as unconfined aquifers in Llío-Guano, semi-confined aquifers in Riobamba, and confined aquifers in Yaruquíes. In addition, it was determined a difference in the water balance if only the local recharge was considered because there is a large contribution of water to the aquifers from the regional recharge, the Chimborazo volcano.