This study was conducted in the upper parts of the Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia, with the objective of characterizing the different volcanic rock aquifers and evaluating their respective productivity. Geological, structural and hydrogeological methods were utilized in this study. Quaternary vesicular basalt (27.33%) and Tertiary aphanitic basalts (72.67%) are the two geological formations in the basin. In both cases, the weathered and fractured zones are the water bearing zones. Confined aquifer, multilayer confined aquifer and multilayer unconfined–confined aquifer are the types of aquifers identified in the basin. The computed values of the hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and specific capacity for the multilayer unconfined-confined aquifers ranges from 0.165 to 49 m/day, 11.30 to 3870 m²/day, and 0.164 to 30.968 l/sec/m, respectively. The computed hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and specific capacity for the multilayer confined aquifer are 0.525 m/day, 10.9 m²/day and 0.190 l/sec/m, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and specific capacity for the confined aquifer are 6.46 m/day, 148 m²/day and 1.363 l/sec/m, respectively. Based on the analyzed results of transmissivity and specific capacity, three aquifer potentiality groups were recognized: high potentiality aquifer, moderately potentiality aquifer and low potentiality aquifers. For sustainable groundwater management in the basin, development of groundwater should take place in the area covered by high potentiality aquifer by considering the whole thickness of the aquifers.

Keywords: Aphanitic Basalts, Aquifer Potentiality, Blue Nile River, Groundwater, Specific Capacity, Transmissivity

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