Groundwater baseline quality in the Minqin Basin, NW China

Study on groundwater baseline quality is very important for groundwater management, as managers want to know the magnitude and reason for the elevated content (whether the elevated content is geological or anthropogenic in origin). As the baseline is defined as the range of concentration of a give element is derived entirely from natural sources under condition not perturbed by anthropogenic activity, it can be obtained from the palaeowaters. Based on the published data in the Minqin Basin, NW China, the groundwater baseline quality is determined. This will be one of the first groundwater baseline quality studies in China. Results show that the relatively high total mineral content in the basin is related to arid condition and low groundwater flow velocity and that the most groundwater quality has not been affected by human activities.