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Abstract
The results of a series of continuous characterizations of physical parameters (flow, temperature, water conductivity) and chemical analyses in water springs fed by karst aquifers located in the Piedmont region (northwestern Italy) are presented in this work. Rock masses in carbonate rocks, characterized by very different hydrogeological situations, linked to a different degree of karstification, fracturing, and development of the saturated zone, were examined. A series of data-loggers were installed, operating for several years, and different water sampling missions and subsequent chemical analyses (main ions, metals, and rare earth elements) under different hydrodynamic conditions were carried out. The results show very different trends of chemical–physical water parameters, particularly following significant infiltrative events. Aquifers characterized by a high karstification and reduced saturated zone highlight water mineralization decreases, even within a few hours, as a result of significant flow rate increases (prevalent substitution). Aquifers with a well-developed saturated zone, during an entire flood event, highlight an increase in mineralization linked to the remobilization of water present in the less permeable sectors of the aquifer (piston flow phenomenon). Lastly, aquifers fed by very fractured rocky masses and reduced karstification have a water flow rate with mild annual variations and constant chemical–physical parameters over time (homogenization phenomenon).
Highlights
Karst aquifers occur in many areas of Europe, from the alpine mountain sectors to the Apennines and the mediumand low-altitude areas of the karst overlooking the Mediterranean [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
The Fuse and Pesio springs are fed by karst aquifers highly karstified
The hydrodynamic and the chemical–physical parameters of water can be influenced by the fracturing and/or karstification of the rock mass, its lithological characteristics, the geometry of the entire drainage network, and the phreatic zone size and thickness
Summary
Karst aquifers occur in many areas of Europe, from the alpine mountain sectors (highaltitude Pyrenees, French, Swiss, Austrian, Italian karst) to the Apennines and the mediumand low-altitude areas of the karst overlooking the Mediterranean [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. The hydrodynamic regime of these aquifers is affected by the local meteorological conditions [2,3,4,5], the geological and structural order, the karstification degree, and the rock cluster fracturing. The hydrogeology of these massifs was discussed in different works (e.g., [1,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24]). Various intermediate situations exist; on the basis of spring hydrography and hydro-chemical monitoring, it is always possible to refer to one of these models for describing a karst system [30]
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