HYDROGEOCHEMICAL MODELING OF GROUNDWATER OF THE QUATERNARY AQUIFER IN MELLAGOU VALLEY -BOUHMAMA- (NORTHEASTERN ALGERIA)
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Date
2023-02
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Publisher
Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Abstract
The use of groundwater in Bouhmama area for drinking and irrigation purposes has increased
progressively over the past decade. The water quality of the aquifer has been significantly altered by
anthropogenic activity, such as the extensive use of chemical fertilizers. This research intends to enhance
our understanding of the hydrogeochemical function of the Mellagou aquifer in the Bouhmama area in
northeastern Algeria. It contributes to the identification of the phenomena affecting the mineralization and
the mechanisms of salinization of groundwater. A total of 15 groundwater samples were collected during
the rainy seasons in 2022 distributed in the study area. In order to performed the results obtained this study
used hydrochemical diagram (Piper, Schoeller, Stiff, Stabler, and Wilcox diagrams), thermodynamic
models (saturation indexes), and statistical method (PCA). Three chemical facies with a predominance of
the calcic bicarbonate facies reflect the influence of intercalations within the bicarbonate sedimentary
formations. Groundwater mineralization is mainly governed by the dissolution and the precipitation of
minerals (gypsum and halite, calcite and dolomite), Base Exchange, and anthropogenic activities. The
results acquired by PCA show that the variables controlling water mineralization are Cl
.