Abstract
Arsenic is a naturally occurring trace element that causes many health effects when present in drinking water. Elevated arsenic concentrations in water are often attributed to nearby felsic volcanic sequences; however, the specific rock units to which the groundwater anomalies can be accredited are rarely identified. The groundwater from wells around the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, contains high arsenic content. Arsenic in groundwater increases toward the base rock containing Tertiary volcanic rocks. Through detailed scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron microprobe (EMP) work, arsenic minerals are identified in the cavities of the Tertiary volcanic tuff from the northeast part of the Tabalaopa Basin, city of Chihuahua. Arsenic minerals, the As–Sr–Al phase (a possible arsenogoyazite–arsenoflorencite group mineral) crystallized in the vesicles of the tuff and the As–Y bearing phase included in biotite, prevail in the studied Tertiary volcanic outcrops. Based on the current study, the arsenic anomaly in the Tabalaopa–Aldama aquifer corresponds to these arsenic phases in the Tertiary volcanic rocks.
Highlights
High arsenic concentrations in drinking water have been linked to diverse types of diseases [1]
Nine rock chips have been mounted in epoxy to shape as 1” rounds and polished for scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) study
Arsenogoyazite-like arsenic minerals have been identified in Cenozoic volcanic tuff at Tabalaopa Basin, city of Chihuahua, Mexico
Summary
High arsenic concentrations in drinking water have been linked to diverse types of diseases [1]. Epidemiological studies in Argentina, Taiwan, Chile, Japan, Mexico, and Bangladesh have associated high arsenic in drinking water with skin, kidney, lung, and bladder cancers [3]. The city of Chihuahua, in the semiarid area of northern Mexico, relies on the groundwater system as the main source of potable water. Rapid urban development during the last 50 years has resulted in a large decrease in the groundwater levels of the aquifers in the region [8]. This makes the groundwater from the surrounding area to be the major supplier for Chihuahua urban areas. The groundwater from the aforementioned wells shows that the arsenic contents are higher in the Tabalaopa–Aldama aquifer toward the northeast (Sierra del Cuervo) [7] and the Chihuahua–Sacramento aquifer toward the northwest (Sierra Sacramento) [8]
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