TITLE:
Major and Trace Element Characterization of Shallow Groundwater in Coastal Alluvium of Chidambaram Town, Cuddalore District, South India
AUTHORS:
Thangasamy Jeyavel Raja Kumar, Chinadurai Dushiyanthan, Boopalan Thiruneelakandan, Radhakrishnan Suresh, Shanmugam Vasanth Raja, Mailare Senthilkumar
KEYWORDS:
Groundwater Quality, Hydrogeochemical Processes, Saturation Index, Trace Elements
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
13,
2016
ABSTRACT: Hydrogeochemical investigation of groundwater of Chidambaram town has
been carried out to assess the suitability for drinking uses and the source for
the ions acquisition process. Geologically, the area comes under the alluvial zone and is followed by
tertiary formation, includes sands, sand stone, laterite, clayey black and
stiff clay. The water level varies from 6 m to 10 m bgl. Twenty
groundwater samples are collected and analysed for pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS), major cations Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+,
K+ and anions , Cl-, . The trace elements
of Zn, Pb, Cr, Fe, Cd, Cu and Mn are determined. Study results reveal that
groundwater in study area is a fresh water type. The pH, EC and TDS are noticed
high and sequence of abundance of the major ions is Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ and Cl- > > . The Stufzand
chloride classification indicates that the groundwater is derived from
precipitations and Scholler classification shown type I. Hydrochemical facies
of groundwater are Ca2+ > Na+ > Cl- and
saturation index shows that nearly all the water samples are under saturated
with respect to carbonate (calcite, dolomite and aragonite) and sulfate (gypsum
and anhydrite) minerals. Except Zn, other elements of Fe, Pb, Cr, Mn, Cu, and
Cd are found high and above the permissible limit of drinking water standard.
The ionic concentration present in the groundwater of the study area can be
from wastes of commercial activities, domestic sewage and automobiles rather
than by ionic exchange and geological formation.