Environmental geology and isotopic evaluation of springs within the central part of the Sierra Cerro de La Silla, northeastern México

Trace Metals and Metalloids Present in Springwater of a Mining Area: Assessment Based on Chemical and Isotopic Data (δ2H, δ18O, 3H and 87Sr/86Sr)

“…The study of water resources in mining areas is very important because of the increasing demand for and pollution and depletion of groundwater [1][2][3]. Groundwater is an important component of the hydrological cycle, and even more so in recharge areas of the regional aquifers, and in some cases, as a source of water for human consumption [4][5][6]. Springwater represents an important source of drinking water in many countries around the world, where the importance of water quality in human health has recently attracted a great deal of interest [7].…”

“…Several studies have shown that springwater is one of the environmental areas most threatened by urbanization processes and mining activity; these threats to aquifers become evident with reduced or eliminated recharge areas and the detriment of water quality [4,7,8]. Understanding the hydrogeological functioning of a region is fundamental; the knowledge of groundwater dynamics, including potential recharge elevations, flow directions, and the recognition of natural and anthropic hydrogeochemical impacts, is imperative to enhance the protection and management of springwater resources [9,10].…”

“…Isotopic composition in springwater has been recognized by its application in understanding hydrological systems, sources of water, recharge elevations, residence time, and solutes and identifying geochemical reactions [1][2][3][4][5][6]9] and the release and transport of toxic elements, which provides information on the dispersion and management of groundwater resources [11][12][13]. The isotopes of hydrogen (δ 2 H) and tritium (δ δ3 H), oxygen (oxygen-18 or δ 18 O), and the ratio of strontium-87 to strontium-86 ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) have long been used in hydrology [9,11,12].…”