In studying the hydrologic balance such area that permeable materials like sand, gravel or ash and weakly welded pumice flow of the Quarternary, cover impermeable bedrocks, it is extremely important to check whether the specified geological conditions, which will cause the watershed leakage from one river basin to another exist or not.
Generally speaking, the underground divide does not necessarily coincide with the topographic divide in such area due to the relief of bedrocks underlain by permeable materials. Consequently, a part of groundwater which infiltrated in the permeable materials flow across the topographic divide along the surface of the bedrocks.
This report describes a result of investigation on the hydrologic balance in the Kimotsuki River basin (about 450km
2) by taking into consideration of all possible items relating to the hydrologic balance, especially to the watershed leakage.
Dr. K. Ogasawara investigated the hydrologic balance of this river basin based on the statistics for three years, 1967 to 1969, and confirmed that the average amount of annual flow (2350mm) is in excess of the average amount of the estimated rainfall (2107mm). However, the amount of loss by spontaneous evaportaion is assumed to be approximately 300mm (i. e. actual annual rainfall of this area comes to 2407mm). This is the reason why Dr. K. Ogasawara suggested the possibility of the watershed leakage of groundwater from another river basin area into the Kimotsuki River basin.
A field investigation by the authors and various published geological data showed the following properties in this area and its vicinity.
1) In the Kimotsuki River basin and its vicinity, pumice flows (20 to 50m in thickness, and probably pleistocene in age) which is commonly known in Japan as “Shirasu” distribute unconformably covering the Nichinan formation which is mainly composed of sandstones and shales in alternation. No doubt, the “Shirasu” has a much higher permeability compared with the Nichinan formation.
2) Former topographic divide of the old Kimotsuki River basin which is composed of the Nichinan formation and is now covered by “Shirasu” may possibly act as a groundwater divide. In the left bank area of the Kimotsuki River basin, such groundwater divide which can be geologically estimated exists within the Hishida and Tabaru River basin across the topographic divide.
3) The area which may possibly supply groundwater to the Kimotsuki River basin by the watershed leakage is estimated about 47km
2; 34km
2 in the Hishida River basin and 13km
2 in the Tabaru River basin respectively.
Considering above mentioned hydrogeological data, satisfactory results on the hydrologic balance were obtained. That is, if the estimated amount of the watershed leakage from the Hishida and Tabaru River basin is added to the amount of flow, it comes to approximately coincide with the amount of rainfall in the Kimotsuki River basin.
On the contrary, in the Hishide River basin, the estimated amount of flow from corrected area of this river basin (sabtract 34km
2 from actual river basin area) might be abequate judging from available amount of river water during irriration season.
View full abstract