Published Paper

This is the presentation given at the Geological Society of America's 2017 Annual Meeting in Seattle by James Adamson and co-authors (G. Thomas LaVanchy, William Javan Miner, and Brandon Stone). It covers the Brito Formation, a Paleogene-age marine sandstone unit that stretches roughly 75 km along Nicaragua's southwestern Pacific coast and supplies most of the region's groundwater.

The team combined field reconnaissance, hydrochemistry analysis, well monitoring, and recharge estimates to characterize the formation's fractured, discontinuous aquifer system amid rapid coastal tourism growth and rising water demand.

Key Takeaway: The Brito Formation's aquifers have limited recharge and sit in a vulnerable coastal setting, making them especially exposed to overexploitation as development accelerates. The findings were meant to guide future exploration, planning, and sustainable groundwater management along this stretch of coast, and were later published in full as Adamson et al. (2021) in Hydrogeology Journal.