The probable relationship between groundwater level in Qanats and recent earthquakes, in the vicinity of Kuhbanan Fault, Kerman

Many water resources and aquifer are located around quaternary faults in seismic structural trends. From a hydro geological point of view، quantitative changes in these aquifers may be related to earthquake occurrence caused by activity of quaternary faults. According to the history of Iranian earthquake, some of earthquakes made significant changes on quality and quantity of groundwater levels before and after earthquakes in seismic regions. Qanats are natural structures that are spread among most aquifers in Iran. Investigation of groundwater level changes in seismic region around Kuhbanan fault shows the fluctuation of groundwater in these structures before and after earthquakes. Kuhbanan fault located in the southeast margin of central Iran is one of the most seismic structural trends of Kerman province & eastern Bafgh. Some great earthquakes have been recorded in this region such as the earthquakes of October 2002, February 2005, April 2005 and April 2006. In order to study the fluctuations of groundwater level in the studied region 10 Qanats or subterranean canals have been investigated between 2002 and 2006. Most of the studied sources of data are located in Zarand plain which consists of calcareous clay, silt, sand and gravel. Different parameters have been studied in this investigation of ground water level changes such as geological setting, precipitation, discharge of wells and Qanats and earthquake events. Intensity of change was substantial near the Kuhbanan fault. This studies shows that the discharge of the Qanats could be use as the most effective to investigate coseismic groundwater level changes

کلیدواژه ها:

Ground water level ، Qanat ، Kuhbanan fault ، earthquake ، Kerman