AUTHOR=Qin Zixuan , Zhang Qiang , Yu Siyao , Yang Yanna , Zhang Jiasen , Xu Mo , Liu Yang , Liu Maoyi , Nie Mi 

TITLE=Revealing karst water circulation based on the GIS and environmental isotopes methods—A case study in eastern Sichuan, southwestern China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Earth Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1120618

DOI=10.3389/feart.2023.1120618

ISSN=2296-6463

ABSTRACT=<p>Jura-type folds in eastern Sichuan Basin have created unique multi-type karst water circulation patterns. Understanding the karst water circulation features is helpful to the protection and management of water resources in this area. In this study, a typical Jura-type fold Mingyueshan in eastern Sichuan, Southwestern China is taken as an example. The geological conditions, natural geographical factors, and environmental isotopes data (δ<sup>2</sup>H, δ<sup>18</sup>O, δ<sup>3</sup>H) are analyzed, the GIS method was used to construct the groundwater flow system. The results reveal the karst water circulation patterns under the control of multiple drainage base levels. Finally, it comes to the conclusion that the north, middle and south sections of Mingyueshan present three water circulation patterns: unidirectional shallow circulation system, bidirectional shallow circulation system and unidirectional shallow-deep nested circulation system, respectively. These results are essentially qualitative, some numerical simulations of groundwater flow can be considered in future work, which will help to determine the groundwater flow system quantitatively. The research results can provide reference for the studies of karst aquifers in eastern Sichuan Jura-type folds area and other areas with similar characteristics.</p>