Source Quantification of Major Ions in Groundwater from Deep Limestone Aquifer System in Northern Anhui Province, China Based on Unmix Model

摘要

Groundwater from the deep buried limestone aquifer system is important for coal mines in northern AnhuiProvince, China, not only because it can provide water supply in the area, but also threat for the safety ofcoal mining. In this study, major ion concentrations of 48 groundwater samples from the limestone aquifersystem in Huaibei coalfield, northern Anhui Province, China have been measured and analysed by EPAUnmix model for tracing their sources. The results suggest that they can be classified as Na-Ca-Mg-Cl-SO 4type according to their major ion concentrations, and the sources for the major ions are considered to bemore than one according to the results of statistical analysis. Three sources have been identified by Umixmodel, including carbonate-chloride, sulphate and silicate sources, and their contributions for the totaldissolved solids are 43, 42 and 15%, respectively. The variations of contributions from the three sources ofthe samples probably related to, (1) the variations of mineral compositions in the aquifer system, and (2) thedifferent locations (recharge or discharge) of the samples collected from.