Preliminary study on strontium-rich characteristics of shallow groundwater in Dingtao Area, China

Abstract

Based on the analysis of element correlation, the Gibbs diagram, hydro-geochemical ion ratios, isoline maps of groundwater and soil, and change patterns of strontium content after normalization, the study examines water-rock interaction of shallow groundwater in Dingtao area. The results suggest that strontium in the study area mainly comes from water-rock interactions, and the strata interacting with groundwater are the top of Quaternary and Neogene. The element correlation analysis shows that the formation of strontium-rich groundwater is sufficiently affected by sulfate and carbonate. The Gibbs diagram suggests that the chemical composition of groundwater is mainly influenced by water-rock interactions, accompanied by evaporation crystallization. c(Ca2++Mg2+)/c(HCO3-+SO42-) reflects that the main reactions in the groundwater system is weathering dissolution of carbonate and sulfate, and ion exchange takes place. c(Na+)/c(Cl-) indicates that Na+ in groundwater may have water-rock interactions with rocks it flows through. c(Cl-)/c(Ca2+) indicates that the hydrodynamic condition in the pumping well is poor and the water circulation is slow. The study examines the macro isoline map change patterns, correlation curves of change of strontium content in groundwater and shallow soil, and correlation curves of change of strontium content in groundwater, shallow soil, and deep soil. The results suggest that the strontium content in the study area has the same change pattern in groundwater and in soil, which further indicates that strontium in the study area comes from water-rock interactions.