Rare earth element geochemistry of groundwater from a deep seated sandstone aquifer,northern Anhui province,China

Deep coal mines in northern Anhui province, China, provide opportunities for tracing the distribution and fractionation of rare earth elements CREEs） in deep seated environments. Major ions, as well as REE concentrations were measured in groundwater from a sandstone aquifer located between -400 and -280 m. Our results indicate that this groundwater consists of CI.HCOH-Na or CI.CO3-Na water types with warm temperature （30.1-31.4~C）, circumneutral pH （7.27-8.61） and high levels of total dissolved solids （TDS ~ 1306--2165 mg/L）. Concentrations of REEs in groundwater are high as expressed by their Nd con- centrations （0.0086-0.018μg/L）. Except for weak heavy REEs （HREE） enrichment relative to light REEs （LREE）, the similarity of REE distribution patterns between groundwater and aquifer rock indicate that enrichment of REEs is considered to be controlled by aquifer rock, as well as by their minerals, whereas the fractionation of REEs is controlled by HREE enriched minerals and, to a lesser extent, by inorganic REE complexes. Ce anomalies normalized to Post Archean Average Shale （PAAS） and aquifer rock are weak, which probably reflect the contribution of reduced conditions in combination with pH, rather than a sig- nature of aouifer rock.

Assessment of groundwater suitability for different activities in Toshka district,south Egypt

Globally,groundwater has globally emerged as a crucial freshwater source for domestic,irrigation,and industrial needs.The evaluation of groundwater quality in the Toshka region is imperative to ensure its suitability for the extensive agricultural and industrial activities underway in this promising,groundwater-dependent development area.This is particularly significant as Egypt increasingly relies on groundwater reserves to address freshwater deficits and to implement mega-development projects in barren lands.In this study,fifty-two samples were collected from the recently drilled wells tapping into the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer(NSA)in the Toshka region.Groundwater quality was assessed through hydrochemical analysis,Piper diagram,and various indicators such as Na%,SAR,RSC,KR,MH and PI.The hydrochemical analysis revealed improved groundwater quality characteristics,attributed to continuous recharge from Lake Nasser.The Piper diagram categorised most of the water samples as"secondary salinity"water type.Almost all wells proved suitable for irrigation with only two wells unsuitable based on MH values and six wells based on KR values.Considering Total Hardness(TH)values,all samples were classified as"Soft",indicating their suitability for domestic and industrial purposes.Water Quality Index(WQI)results concluded that all samples met WHO and FAO guidelines for drinking and irrigation,respectively.Spatial distribution maps,constructed using GIS,facilitate the interpretation of the results.Regular monitoring of quality parameters is essential to detect any deviation from permissible limits.