Aplicación de los clorofluorocarbonos y el hexafluoruro de azufre como trazadores hidrogeológicos en los acuíferos carbonatados del Parque Natural del Barranco del Río Dulce (Guadalajara)

Abstract

Based on information from boreholes and springs of the aquifers associated with the Jurassic and Cretaceous carbonate materials near the Natural Park of the Barranco del Río Dulce (PNBRD) a conceptual groundwater flow model has been established whose dynamics was validated with the interpretation of the contents of CFC and SF 6, never before used in Spain for these purposes. At all points there is a fraction of pre-1950 water that is greater in the recharge areas of the Jurassic units, where the interpretation of the data via the exponential model reflects ages up to 100 years. The interpretation of the contents of CFCs from binary mixture model reflects ages greater than 17 years for the young fraction that may correspond with water that flow through the spaces of intermediate size between the rock matrix and karst conduits. Although not belonging to the same aquifer unit, the points with the highest proportion of water "post-1950" are located in the river valleys of the Cretaceous units. The results are consistent with the existence of generally poor hydraulic gradients, because of the high apparent ages obtained, the existence of multiple inlets and at least a double porosity. In the Cretaceous aquifers there are karst conduits that raise the flow of springs quickly after rainfall and whose influence is not reflected in the samples. CFCs can be useful to indicate the existence of phenomena of current urban pollution. Age values derived from SF 6 concentrations are lower than those derived from CFCs, probable due to contribution of this gas from the rock invalidating its use as tracer. The future use of CFCs is compromised by the decreasing tendency of its concentration in the atmosphere, although the comparison of CFC-113 with SF 6 of no geological origin, will maintain its utility.