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 Anhui Province, China, not only because it can provide water supply in the area, but also threat for the safety of coal mining. In this study, major ion concentrations of 48 groundwater samples from the limestone aquifer system in Huaibei coalfield, northern Anhui Province, China have been measured and analysed by EPA Unmix model for tracing their sources. The results suggest that they can be classified as Na-Ca-Mg-Cl-SO_4 type according to their major ion concentrations, and the sources for the major ions are considered to be more than one according to the results of statistical analysis. Three sources have been identified by Umix model, including carbonate-chloride, sulphate and silicate sources, and their contributions for the total dissolved solids are 43,42 and 15%, respectively. The variations of contributions from the three sources of the samples probably related to, (1) the variations of mineral compositions in the aquifer system, and (2) the different locations (recharge or discharge) of the samples collected from.