Hydrogeochemical signatures and pollution sources in limestone mining landscapes: environmental and health risk perspectives.

Authors

Baljinder Singh, Brijesh Kumar Yadav

Published in

Environmental geochemistry and health. Volume 48. Issue 10. Jul 01, 2026. Epub Jul 01, 2026.

Abstract

Mining operations with local geogenic processes and other anthropogenic activities significantly alter quality of natural water resources systems. In complex geological settings these interactions influence contaminant transport behavior leading to shifts in hydrogeochemical signatures of (sub)-surface waters. Hence, a methodological framework is crucial to coherently link these geogenic and anthropogenic signatures with contamination sources and evaluate associated health risks in mining regions. The hydrogeochemical processes were initially studied using Gibbs and Piper plots, along with mineral saturation indices to establish baseline conditions in limestone mining environments. Thereafter, Entropy Water Quality Index (EWQI) was applied to delineate contamination hotspots. Non-carcinogenic risks from potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were evaluated to validate effects of contaminated water exposure. Finally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to distinguish natural geochemical signatures from anthropogenic inputs. The results showed that (sub)-surface water quality was controlled by geogenic processes, particularly carbonate and silicate weathering, with additional inputs from anthropogenic activities. The piper plot classified most samples into CaMgHCO₃ facies (53%) reflecting dissolution of limestone and dolomite minerals. The mineral saturation indices highlighted thermodynamically favorable conditions for carbonate dissolution. EWQI values exceeding 150 indicated contamination hotspots characterized by extremely poor water quality. The health risk assessment validated these findings, with Hazard Index (HI) indicating significant non-carcinogenic risks, particularly for children. HI values exceeded the threshold of 1 in both groundwater (1.70-5.66) and surface water (1.60-17.65) samples across seasons. PCA further differentiated geogenic controls from anthropogenic sources such as mining and agriculture. This study establishes a holistic hydrogeochemical framework for quantifying both geogenic and anthropogenic processes and associated health and environmental risks in mining regions globally.

PMID:
42384282
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Jul 2026.

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