Structuration profonde dans la région de Bir M’Chergua (Nord-Est de la Tunisie). Implications hydrogéologiques

The Bir M’Chergua region, located fifty kilometers from the capital Tunis, is an important economic pole in Tunisia. However, the water shortage resulting from many successive drought periods has led to a significant degradation of the various industrial, tourist and agricultural activities in this region. Groundwater exploitation can alleviate this situation, but it requires a better characterization of aquifers. In this context, the present study aims to provide precisions on the Bir M’Chergua hydrogeological scheme by determining the subsurface structures from gravimetric data interpretation. Residual anomaly, vertical derivative and total horizontal gradient maps are calculated from the Bouguer anomaly to identify and delimit the causative sources. The Euler deconvolution technique is also applied to estimate these sources depth. The structural map resulting from gravimetric interpretation highlights buried structures and discontinuities of different direction and depth that can greatly influence the Bir M’Chergua aquifer system geometry and functioning. In fact, the highlighting of tectonic features at more than 1500 m depth around the Jebel Oust dome explains the origin and the high salinity of the thermal waters in this sector; such tectonic accidents have favored a deep penetration of the recharge water as well as their contact with the Triassic terrains.