Preliminary geochemical characterization of a carbonate aquifer: the case of Pollino massif (Calabria, South Italy)

Giovanni Vespasiano (a) & Carmine Apollaro (a)
(a) Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DIBEST), University of Calabria, via Ponte Bucci 4, cubo 15B, I-87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy. Corresponding author e-mail: giovanni.vespasiano@unical.it

Groundwater is a very significant water source used for irrigation and drinking purposes in many region, and therefore understanding the hydrogeochemistry of karst water is extremely important. In this study, surface water and groundwater were collected, and major chemical compositions in the water were measured in order to determine the hydro-chemical processes governing the evolution of the groundwater. Water chemistry was discussed by means of the triangular diagrams among major anionic/cationic constituents and correlation plots. Triangular diagrams show that groundwater is typically characterized by Ca–Mg-HCO3 composition in a shallow aquifer, and Ca-SO4 composition in a deeper aquifer. The active geochemical processes in aquifers, with their corresponding time sequence are: dissolution of CO2, dissolution of calcite and dissolution of dolomite. This represents only a preliminary study that demonstrates the importance of the geochemical characterization as powerful tool to improve the knowledge of natural environment.

Aquifer, calcite, carbonate, dolomite, geochemical.