UPSC Exam-Geologist Exam 2012-Syllabus-Paper 5-Hydrology

(5) HYDROGEOLOGY

Section A: Origin, occurrence and distribution of water

Origin of water: meteroic, juvenile, magmatic and sea waters, Hydrologic cycle: precipitation, runoff, infiltration and evapotranspiration, Hydrographs. Subsurface movement and vertical distribution of groundwater, Springs, Classification of aquifers, Concepts of drainage basin and groundwater basin. hydrological properties of rocks – specific yield, specific retention, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, storage coefficient, water table fluctuations – causative factors, concept of barometric and tidal efficiencies, water table contour maps, Classification of rocks with respect to their water bearing characteristics, Hydro-stratigraphic units, Groundwater provinces of India, Hydrogeology of and Zones of India, wet lands.

Section B: Well hydraulies and well design

Theory of groundwater flow, Darey’s Law and its applications, determination of permeability in laboratory and in field, Types of wells, drilling methods,  construction, design, development and maintenance of wells, specific capacity and its determination. Unconfined, confined, steady, unsteady and radial flow conditions, Pumps tests – methods, data analysis and interpretation for hydrogeologic boundaries, Evaluation of aquifer parameters using Thiem, Theis, Jacob and Walton methods, Groundwater modeling – numerical and electrical models.

Section C: Groundwater chemistry

Groundwater quality – physical and chemical properties of water, quality criteria for different uses, graphical presentation of water quality data, groundwater quality in different provinces of India – problems of arsenic and fluoride, Saline water intrusion in coastal and other aquifers and its prevention, Radioisotopes in

hydrogeological studies, Groundwater contamination.

Section D: Groundwater exploration

Geological – lithological and structural mapping, fracture trace analysis, Hydrogeological – lithological classification with respect of hydrologic properties, Hydraulic continuity in relation to geologic structures, Location of springs Remote

sensing – hydrogeomorphic mapping of the terrain using different images of different satellite missions, lineament mapping, shallow groundwater potential zone mapping using satellite images, Surface geophysical methods – seismic, gravity, geoelectrical and magnetic, Subsurface geophysical methods – well logging for delineation of aquifers and estimation of water quality.

Section E: Groundwater problems and management.

Groundwater problems related to foundation work, mining, canals and tunnels, Problems of over exploitation and groundwater mining. Groundwater development in urban areas and rain water harvesting, Artificial recharge methods, Groundwater problems in arid regions and remediation. Groundwater balance and methods of estimation. Groundwater legislation. Sustainability criteria and managing renewable and nonrenewable groundwater resources.