The Miocene aquifer of the Comtat Venaissin is a major water resource, yet its geological organisation remains poorly constrained. Its stratigraphic architecture, the distribution of sedimentary facies, the role of discontinuities, and the degree of compartmentalisation of the aquifer are still only imperfectly understood. This complexity limits our understanding of its hydrogeological functioning and makes it difficult to build a robust model at the scale of the basin.
As part of the GeEAUde partnership chair, this PhD project, conducted in collaboration between IFPEN and Avignon University, began in November 2025. Its aim is to improve understanding of the structure and functioning of the Miocene aquifer of the Comtat Venaissin, particularly in the Carpentras and Valréas basins.
The work is based on an integrated geological and hydrogeological approach. It relies on the study of outcrops, boreholes, cuttings, and subsurface data in order to reconstruct the stratigraphic architecture of the basin and to better define the distribution of the main aquifer and semi-permeable units. These observations will then be used to build a 3D geological model integrating sedimentary facies and the main heterogeneities likely to control groundwater flow.
One of the main objectives of the PhD is to couple process-based stratigraphic modelling with stochastic reservoir modelling, and then to compare this model with the existing data compiled or produced by the two PhD projects working on the basin. Ultimately, this work should provide a more robust geological and hydrogeological framework, useful for understanding how the resource functions and for developing decision-support tools for its sustainable management.
Start of the PhD: November 2025