Chemical Characteristics and Controlling Factorsof Groundwater in Chahannur Basin

• Published in: Water (Basel) Vol. 15; no. 8; p. 1524
• Main Authors: Gong, Zhiqiang, Tian, Xizhao, Fu, Lulu, Niu, Haobo, Xia, Zongze, Ma, Zhiyuan, Chen, Jian, Zhou, Yahong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Barium; Bicarbonates; Calcium ions; Carbonate minerals; Chahannur Basin; chemical characteristics; Chlorides; controlling factors; Environmental geology; Evaporation; Groundwater; Groundwater basins; Groundwater chemistry; Groundwater data; Human influences; Hydrology; Iron; Kriging interpolation; Leaching; Lithosphere; Magnesium; Manganese; Mass spectrometry; Minerals; Mountainous areas; Mountains; Precipitation; Random variables; Rocks; Runoff; Sample variance; Scientific imaging; Silicate minerals; Silicon compounds; Spatial distribution; Sulfates; Variance analysis; Water chemistry; Water sampling; Water, Underground; Weathering; China
• ISSN: 2073-4441; 2073-4441
• DOI: 10.3390/w15081524

This paper studies the spatial distribution characteristics and controlling factors of groundwater chemistry in the Chahannur Basin. One hundred and seventy shallow groundwater samples (50 m shallow) are collected, and seven ions, pH, TDS, TH, iron, manganese, COD, barium and other indicators, are detected. Piper triplex graph, Gibbs model, ion ratio, analysis of variance and Kriging interpolation are used to carry out the research. The results show that bicarbonate water is the main water chemical type in the Chahannur Basin, in which bicarbonate water accounts for 65.23%, chloride water accounts for 15.15% and sulfate water accounts for 19.62%. Bicarbonate water is mainly distributed in the mountainous areas in the north and south of the basin, and the main controlling factor is rock weathering. Sulfate-type water is mainly distributed in the lower reaches of the northern mountains of the basin, and the main controlling factors are rock weathering and evaporation concentration. The chloride water is mainly distributed in the Chahannur Lake area and the shallow groundwater buried area in the central region of the basin. The main controlling factors are evaporation concentration and human influence. Na+ is mainly derived from atmospheric precipitation and rock salt leaching, Ca2+ and Mg2+ are mainly derived from carbonate minerals leaching, and silicate minerals leaching is less. The pH of groundwater in the basin ranges from 6.3 to 9.18, with an average value of 7.50. The TDS in the basin ranges from 227 to 22,700 mg/L, with an average of 1661 mg/L. Iron in the catchment ranges from 0.01 to 15.343 mg/L, with a mean of 0.837 mg/L. The manganese content in the basin ranges from 0.005 to 3.802 mg/L, with an average value of 0.254 mg/L. COD in the basin ranges from 0.71–32.72 mg/L, with an average value of 3.49 mg/L. Barium in the basin ranges from 0.005 to 0.312 mg/L, with an average of 0.075 mg/L. The research results provide basic scientific data support for groundwater hydrochemistry research in the Chahannur Basin and show that the types of water chemistry in the study area are complex and diverse, and although the distribution is still controlled by terrain and geological conditions, the area affected by human activities accounts for a high proportion, so attention should be paid to the impact of human activities on groundwater in this area.