GSA Connects 2022 meeting in Denver, Colorado

Paper No. 9-11
Presentation Time: 10:45 AM

GEOCHEMISTRY OF GROUNDWATER ARSENIC, FLUORIDE AND NITRATE IN AN ARID REGION OF CENTRAL MEXICO


GUTIERREZ, Melida1, ALARCON-HERRERA, Maria Teresa2 and GAYTÁN-ALARCÓN, Ana Patricia2, (1)School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability, Missouri State University, 901 S National Ave, Springfield, MO 65897-0027, (2)Geography, Geology, and Planning, Missouri State University, 901 S National Ave, Springfield, MO 65897-0027

The concentration effect of evaporation to groundwater from an arid area was investigated for three solutes of interest: arsenic, fluoride, and nitrate. The dataset consisted of 550 water quality data released by the Mexican Water Agency CONAGUA for the years 2012 to 2019 in the four counties located in the northeastern part of the state of Durango, Mexico. The data were correlated (Spearman) and the effects of evaporation determined using Gibbs diagram and water chemistry. The results show that solutes vary within a wide range of values, a common geogenic source for As and F and a lack of association between them and nitrate. The agricultural land use and close association between nitrate and total dissolved solids support an anthropogenic source for nitrate. The geochemical code MINTEQ determined possible precipitation of calcium fluoride for water samples with lower pH (7.0-7.2) and high calcium (> 100 mg/L) content.