Abstract
This study of the hydrogeology of Campeche and southern Quintana Roo complements an earlier study of the northern part of the Yucatan peninsula. In the most north-western part of Campeche state, stratigraphy of aquifer rocks is continuous with that of adjacent Yucatan state, and groundwater geochemistry of chloride, sulphate, and strontium ions indicates that the major ion source for water wells of the city of Campeche is an underlying saline intrusion that is continuous with the intrusion in the western part of Yucatan state. Elsewhere in Campeche state and east of 90° 45′ West (longitude of Escarcega), there is little or no geochemical evidence for a saline intrusion. In much of the southern part of the state, groundwater ion chemistry is dominated by dissolution of extensive beds of gypsum/anhydrite-bearing evaporite of probable Palaeogene age that releases sulphate and chloride ions to the aquifer. The evaporite also releases minor amounts of strontium, which is a useful tracer even at low concentration. This strontium apparently comes from the dissolution of the mineral celestite (SrSO4), which appears to be ubiquitous (although not abundant) in evaporite beds. Evaporites are also the major ion source for most of the groundwater of the southernmost part of Yucatan state and southern Quintana Roo. Groundwater in and near the valley of the Rio Hondo (along the Mexico-Belize border) has high concentrations of sulphate and strontium but unusually low concentrations of chloride. The ratio of sulphate to chloride and the ratio of (Sr)/(Ca) versus 1/(Sr) are used here to evaluate ion sources of all samples in this study. Persistent clay is present in the lower Palaeogene rocks of southern Campeche. The clay units are highly impermeable, and they are capable of effectively isolating surface water from the sulphate- rich groundwater of the aquifer. The result is the formation of a large number of ponds, pools, and abandoned water-filled stream valleys, at least some of which contain water of exceptionally low ion concentration (in marked contrast to the sulphate-rich water of adjacent wells). This surface water may be a suitable source of potable water for communities in the area.
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Perry, E., Oliman, G.V., Wagner, N. (2012). Preliminary Investigation of Groundwater and Surface Water Geochemistry in Campeche and Southern Quintana Roo. In: Oswald Spring, Ú. (eds) Water Resources in Mexico. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-05432-7_6
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