Relationships between lithology, basin form and hydrology

Lithological control.

There is difficulty in representing hydrological processes at the basin-scale. Basins are geologically complex and hydrological data is not well distributed. There is a need to consider basin-scale processes though, for the Water Framework Directive (WFD) River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) for example.

Geomorphological characteristics influence basin hydrology and the hydrogeological characteristics of the underlying aquifers may in turn effect the geomorphological evoloution of the basin. We have investigated how these inter-relationships have developed within the Thames Basin.

Using regression analysis we have looked at the statistical relationships between geomorphological setting, features of the surface hydrology and aquifer parameters for the different lithologies present within the Thames Basin. We have shown for example, that aquifer hydraulic conductivity is strongly correlated with aquifer drainage density, river baseflow characteristics, and even the degree of river incision. We suggest that hydrogeological structure is intimately related to basin evolution.