A Study of Hydrogeochemical Processes on Karst Groundwater Using a Mass Balance Model in the Liulin Spring Area, North China

Abstract

Abstract:Exploring the hydrogeochemical processes of karst groundwater has significant meaning for protecting local groundwater systems in semi-arid areas. Taking a typical semi-arid karst groundwater system-the Liulin spring area-as the research region, hydrogeochemical processes from rainfall infiltration to formation of higher total dissolved solids (TDS) water were studied, applying a mass balance model and the prediction of water chemical components in the focus area was explored. The results showed that hydrogeochemical processes dominating chemical components of karst groundwater included lixiviation, cation exchange and mixture. Calcite dissolved during rainfall infiltration processes in recharge area and saturated, then precipitated along the whole flow path. CO 2 dissolved significantly along with rainfall infiltration process and outgassed in discharge area and stagnant area. The dissolution of dolomite, gypsum and halite accompanied entire flow path and maximum dissolution load occurred in stagnant area. Mg-Na or Ca-Na exchange prevailed along flow path but exchange types depended on ionic concentration. The mixture between surface water and karst groundwater took place in surface water leakage belt in recharge and discharge area and mixture ratio for surface water ranged from 40% to 70%. TDS of the Liulin springs will increase with decreasing surface water leakage. Conversely, TDS of karst groundwater near Henggou area will decrease accompanied by the continuous discharge of the Henggou artesian well.

Effect of Sinkholes on Groundwater Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Karst Area in Abarkooh, Iran

“…It has been shown that land use and anthropogenic effects are factors that likely lead to the variability in water chemistry of the underground water resources within karst semi-arid areas. Same conclusion was highlighted in paper [13] for the case study of the karst arid areas in Northern China.…”

A Complicated Karst Spring System: Identified by Karst Springs Using Water Level, Hydrogeochemical, and Isotopic Data in Jinan, China

“…Karst aquifers crop out in approximately 12% of the global land surface and offer water resource for almost 25% of the world population [1][2][3][4]. In the past several decades, karst systems have been widely studied in aspects of the conceptual model [5][6][7], recharge sources [8][9][10], flow types [11,12], hydrogeochemical processes [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], hydrodynamics [22][23][24], responses to climate changes [25][26][27], and numerical modeling [28][29][30]. However, the heterogeneity and anisotropy of karst conduits and fractures created by uneven groundwater flow give rise to the complex hydrogeological conditions and make it difficult to understand and characterize the karst system [4,31,32].…”

Three-Dimensional Geophysical Characterization of Deeply Buried Paleokarst System in the Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, China

“…Figure 9 shows the paleocave geobody engraving results for the runoff zone. The 3D visualization structure shows that the current wells encountered the sinkhole and the main channel [67], and the next drilling considered multiple horizontal wells and high-angle wells to effectively increase the length of the wells in the paleokarst reservoir. For example, drilling a horizontal well along the top of a main channel between TK405 and T403 could effectively increase the hydrocarbon production.…”