A discussion of the method of estimating hydraulic parameters based on groundwater responses to seismic waves

Hydraulic parameters of a well-aquifer system are critical for groundwater flow models of a groundwater/aquifer system. These parameters are usually obtained through laboratory experiments, field tests and model inversions. Based on the coseismic responses of groundwater levels in the X10 well to distant earthquakes and the correlations of groundwater and seismic waves obtained from spectral analyses, this paper presents a methodology for estimating hydraulic parameters of a confined aquifer using groundwater wave signals (mainly caused by the Rayleigh waves). The results show a good agreement between the variations and spectrum characteristics of the groundwater waves and seismic waves in the X10 well. The estimated storativity of the X10 well-aquifer system is 1.33×10^-5~1.64×10^-5, and the hydraulic conductivity is 57~87 m/d. The methodology for estimating hydraulic parameters of the confined well-aquifer systems presented in this paper is practical and can provide a new technical approach for groundwater management and the analyses of seismic precursory anomalies.