Water geochemistry and dissolution rates of the karst-dominated Houzhai River basin, China

Abstract

ABSTRACTHouzhai (Guizhou Province, Southwest China) is a typical karstification area, with dolomite and limestone constituting the major rock types. The aim of this study was to utilize major element mass-balance and multivariate statistical methods to analyze the chemical composition of water in the Houzhai River catchment area with regard to seasonal variations in ion content, dissolution reactions, and rates. Data demonstrated that the Houzhai's hydrochemical composition is dominated by calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), bicarbonate (HCO3−), and sulfate (SO42−) which predominantly originated from chemical weathering of carbonate rocks like limestone and dolomite. Carbonate weathering contributes 83% of the dissolved Ca2+. Sulfuric acid also plays an important role in rock weathering. Our analysis identified three principal sources of hydrochemical variation in the study area, including dolomite dissolution, limestone dissolution, and anthropogenic activities. In addition, the identified two main hydrochemical facies were characterized by the predominance of Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4. In terms of temporal variation, all of the examined parameters showed strong inter-annual and seasonal variations of concentration distribution, except pH levels and potassium and sodium (K++Na+). The dissolution rate of carbonate was estimated using the concentration of Ca2+ and discharge rate, which constitutes a simple, practical, and innovative method. Compared with other research methods, our strategy was found to be simple, feasible, readily adaptable, and less demanding of data inputs.