296-8 Numerical simulations of groundwater-permafrost interactions in fault zones

Session: Innovations in Research of Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions over Multiple Spatio-Temporal Scales (Posters)

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Abstract:

Permafrost is typically considered as an impermeable barrier to groundwater flow; however, unfrozen zones (taliks) can develop within permafrost environments and act as conduits for both groundwater flow and heat transport. Fault zones may facilitate talik formation by serving as preferential pathways for focused groundwater flow and concomitant heat advection and potential solute transport. Although perennially flowing springs have been observed at faults in the High Arctic, the specific effects of faults on the distribution of permafrost remain poorly understood. The overall goal of the present study is to assess the influence of faults on groundwater flow and energy transport patterns in permafrost regions based on numerical simulations within a cryohydrogeological model. A range of permafrost formation and thaw scenarios will be simulated in tandem with a suite of fault parameters (e.g., geometry, permeability) to investigate interactions between groundwater flow, faults, and permafrost. Particular attention will be given to the competing thermal regimes (radial conduction vs. along-fault advection) that determine whether faults freeze or remain hydraulically active as hydrothermal taliks. The results will provide new insights into cold-region hydrogeological processes and improve predictions of permafrost evolution under changing climatic conditions.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10484

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