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2026 Vol.31, Issue 3 Preview Page

Research Article

Hydraulic and Hydrochemical Characterization of Hydrogeological Units in South Korea: National-scale Statistical Analysis

국내 수문지질단위의 수리 및 수리지화학적 특성 평가: 전국 규모 통계 분석

Soonyoung Yu1
,
Jaehoon Jung1
,
Jize Piao1*
,
Ho-rim Kim1
,
Sang-Ho Moon2
,
Hyoung Chan Kim1
,
Yongcheol Kim1
,
Heejun Suk1
,
Hee Sun Moon1
,
Kyung-Seok Ko1
,
Kyoochul Ha1
유 순영1
,
정 재훈1
,
박 길택1*
,
김 호림1
,
문 상호2
,
김 형찬1
,
김 용철1
,
석 희준1
,
문 희선1
,
고 경석1
,
하 규철1
1Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon 34132, Republic of Korea
2Hanseo Engineering Inc., Seoul 05704, Republic of Korea
1한국지질자원연구원
2㈜한서엔지니어링
*Corresponding Author
30 June 2026. pp. 28-52
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Abstract

Hydrogeological units, which control groundwater storage and flow, provide important information for groundwater development and management. However, the quantitative assessment of the hydraulic or hydrochemical properties of each unit remains challenging on a national scale due to geological heterogeneity and limited well data. This study aimed to identify differences in the hydraulic (specific capacity[SC] and transmissivity[T]) and hydrochemical (HCO3− and F− concentrations) properties among 12 hydrogeological units in South Korea. The hydrogeological units were reclassified by lithology, geologic age, or the metamorphic protoliths in each major river basin and compiled into a unified map. Their hydraulic and hydrochemical differences were evaluated using the Tukey-Kramer post hoc test following one-way ANOVA. SC and T were high in unconsolidated clastic sediments and low in Permian-Triassic intrusive igneous rocks in alluvial aquifers. For bedrock aquifers, SC and T were high in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks and orthogneisses and low in Cretaceous-Paleogene and Permian-Triassic igneous rocks. Meanwhile, they were high in Jurassic igneous rocks and low in schists & paragneisses. HCO3− was high in clastic sedimentary rocks and carbonate rocks in both aquifers, whereas F− was high in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks and Permian-Triassic igneous rocks in alluvial aquifers, and in Cretaceous-Paleogene and Jurassic igneous rocks in bedrock aquifers. The results demonstrated the validity of subdividing igneous and metamorphic rocks according to geologic age. Overall, hydrogeological units better explained hydraulic and hydrochemical characteristics in bedrock aquifers than in alluvial aquifers. These national-scale results can help identify aquifers with high groundwater yield potential and support detailed regional hydrogeological mapping.

Keywords
Hydrogeological units
specific capacity
transmissivity
HCO3−
F−
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 31
  • No :3
  • Pages :28-52
  • Received Date : 2026-06-05
  • Revised Date : 2026-06-19
  • Accepted Date : 2026-06-26
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2026.31.3.028
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