Some isotopic and hydrological changes associated with the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, Taiwan

The changes in the isotopic composition of, and the groundwater level in, the Choshui River alluvial fan near the ruptured Chelungpu Fault during and following the 1999 (Mw = 7.5) Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan are reported. Three aspects of the hydrological changes are noticed. First, following the Chi-Chi earthquake, the lower aquifers beneath the Choshui River fan showed a significant shift in isotopic composition towards that of the surface water in the Choshui River, suggesting enhanced exchanges of water between the river and the groundwater. Second, in some wells, water levels and isotopic compositions in different aquifers converged to the same respective values during the Chi-Chi earthquake, suggesting coseismic exchanges of water between the different aquifers, which implies enhanced permeability due perhaps to the fracturing and breaching of aquitards between the aquifers. Third, the pattern of the coseismic water-level response is distinctly different from that of the shift in the isotopic composition, suggesting that they were produced by different mechanisms.