Hydrochemistry of Groundwaters within the Rock Quarrying Districts of Western Oban Massif, Southeastern Nigeria

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IJEP 43(2): 108-118 : Vol. 43 Issue. 2 (February 2023)

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Azubuike S. Ekwere and Bernard B. Edet

University of Calabar, Department of Geology, Calabar South – 540 281, Cross River, Nigeria

Abstract

A hydrochemical assessment of groundwater within quarrying districts within the Precambrian basement of the Oban Massif, southeastern Nigeria, was carried out to establish possible temporal variations and impacts of rock quarrying. To characterize the waters, major ions and selected metals were analyzed. Ca>Mg>Na>K and Cl>HCO3>SO4>NO3 as abundance trends for major cations and anions in groundwaters were discovered. For the selected metals, Ni>Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd>Cr>As was the order of abundance in the groundwater. The chemical abundance orders were the same across all quarrying zones. Principal component, correlation and factor analyses revealed that the inter-relationship between parameters was primarily controlled by geogenic processes, such as weathering, mineral dissolution and water mixing. Ionic cross-plots confirmed the geogenic sourcing of ions. The groundwater was potable with two hydrochemical facies: Ca-Mg-Cl-SO4 and Ca-Mg-HCO3. Water quality for agricultural usability was estimated using sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (% Na) and chloro-alkaline indices (CAI). Results indicated the waters were suitable for agricultural use. Quarrying-related, domestic and agricultural activities were identified as the least significant anthropogenic contributors to ionic species in groundwater. Higher means and a wider range of major ions and metals were reported in the older quarrying districts, with non-significant variation from concentrations in the younger quarries. However, ionic and metallic species concentrations in waters within quarrying districts suggest that quarrying longevity, operations, geology and environmental conditions influence the rates of mineral species dissolubility, mobility and distribution within the study area’s groundwaters, even though they are currently well within acceptable limits.

Keywords

Hydrogeochemistry, rock weathering, quarrying, metallic species, enrichment, basement, Nigeria

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