The Groundwater Project

Hydrogeology of the Pannonian Basin

Book Cover for Hydrogeology of the Pannonian Basin
Publication year: 2024
Number of pages: 73

978-1-77470-044-0

Authors:

Almási István: Dome GeoConsulting Inc., Canada
János Szanyi: University of Szeged, Hungary

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Released: 9 December 2024

Description

This book is part of a series of introductory references on “Important  Aquifer Systems of the World” prepared by The Groundwater Project. The Pannonian Basin in Central Europe hosts one of the most complex aquifer systems in the world. Parts of these aquifers are shared amongst eight countries that occupy various portions of the basin. Groundwater produced from clastic and karstic aquifers in the Pannonian Basin is a precious resource for drinking water, agricultural use as well as geothermal energy, coveted by tens of millions of people inhabiting this area of Central Europe.

This book attempts to summarize in a historic context the evolution of knowledge and understanding of various aspects of moving groundwater as a geologic agent able to mobilize, transport and deposit heat and matter in the Pannonian Basin. It presents various aspects of groundwater utilization and water management practices. Also, it briefly introduces the hydrogeological environment, that is geology, topography and climate, which play a determinant role in the formation and maintenance of the complex hydro-geothermal features observed and exploited over nearly two millennia to date. Besides the abundance of potable groundwater supplies, the Pannonian Basin is most famous for the abundance of geothermal wells, spas, and modern utilization of geothermal energy.

The central part of the Pannonian Basin has two vertically stacked groundwater flow regimes: a gravity driven upper flow regime, and a deep over-pressured flow regime. The latter regime was discovered through petroleum exploration efforts carried out over the last century. A brief introduction into the petroleum hydrogeology of the Pannonian Basin is also included in the book.

Contents

1 THE PANNONIAN BASIN

1.1 Overview

2 HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE

2.1 Etymology (Origin of Names)

2.2 Early Observations

3 FORMATION OF THE PANNONIAN BASIN

4 HYDROGEOLOGY

4.1 Climate

4.2 Topography

4.3 Soils

4.4 Geology

4.5 Hydrostratigraphy

4.6 Groundwater Flow Systems

4.7 Groundwater Flow Systems in the Pannonian Basin

4.7.1 Gravity Driven Flow Regime
4.7.2 Overpressured Flow Regime

4.8 Hydrochemistry

4.9 Age of Groundwater

5 GROUNDWATER USE

5.1 Transboundary Aquifers – Danube River Basin

5.2 International Initiatives for Groundwater Protection

6 GEOTHERMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PANNONIAN BASIN

6.1 Geothermal Energy Utilization

7 PETROLEUM HYDROGEOLOGY

8 WRAP UP

9 EXERCISES

10 REFERENCES

11 EXERCISE SOLUTIONS

12 ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Interview with the Authors