Abstract
The Italian Apennines are among the most important sources of freshwater for several Italian regions. With evidences of deep CO2-rich fluids intruding into aquifers in the nearby central-southern Apennines, a thorough investigation into the geochemistry of groundwater became critical to ensure the water quality in the area. Here, we show the main hydrogeochemical processes occurring in the Matese Massif (MM) aquifer through the investigation of 98 water samples collected from springs and water wells. All waters were classified as HCO3 type with Ca dominance (from 50% up to 97%) and variable amount of Mg (from 1% up to 49%). A multivariate statistical approach through the application of the factor analysis (FA) highlighted three main hydrogeochemical processes: (i) water-carbonate rock interactions mostly enhanced in peripheral areas of the MM by CO2 deep degassing; (ii) addition of NaCl-rich components linked to recharging process and to water mixing processes of the groundwater with a thermal component relatively rich in Cl, Na, and CO2; (iii) anthropogenic activities influencing groundwater composition at the foothills of MM. Furthermore, the first detailed TDIC, pCO2, and δ13C-TDIC distribution maps of the MM area have been created, which track chemical and isotopic anomalies in several peripheral areas (Pratella, Ailano, and Telese) throughout the region. These maps systematically highlight that the greater the amount of dissolved carbon occurs the heavier the C isotope enrichment, especially in the peripheral areas. Conversely, spring waters emerging at higher altitudes within MM are only slightly mineralized and associated with δ13C-TDIC values mainly characterized by recharging processes with the addition of biogenic carbon during the infiltration process through the soil.
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The dataset generated during this study is available and attached to the manuscript as Electronic Supplementary Material.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, analysis, and data development were performed by Francesco Rufino, Emilio Cuoco, Stefano Caliro and Rosario Avino. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Francesco Rufino and initially revised by Emilio Cuoco and Gianluigi Busico. Thomas Darrah and Erica Maletic provided the language editing. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Stefano Caliro and Dario Tedesco supervised the research.
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Rufino, F., Cuoco, E., Busico, G. et al. Deep carbon degassing in the Matese massif chain (Southern Italy) inferred by geochemical and isotopic data. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 46614–46626 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11107-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11107-1