Hydrogeochemical genesis of groundwaters with abnormal fluoride concentrations from Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province, central China

The groundwaters from Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province of central China, have high fluoride concentration up to 3.67 mg/L, and cases of dental fluorosis have been found in this region. To delineate the nature and extent of high fluoride groundwaters and to assess the major geochemical factors controlling the fluoride enrichment in groundwater, 14 groundwater samples and 5 Quaternary sediment samples were collected and their chemistry were determined in this study. Some water samples from fissured hard rock aquifers and Quaternary aquifers have high fluoride concentrations, whereas all karst water samples contain fluoride less than 1.5 mg/L due to their high Ca/Na ratios. For the high fluoride groundwaters in the fissured hard rocks, high HCO(3)(-) concentration and alkaline condition favor dissolution of fluorite and anion exchange between OH-in groundwater and exchangeable F-in some fluoride-bearing minerals. For fluoride enrichment in groundwaters of Quaternary aquifers, high contents of fluoride in the aquifer sediments and evapotranspiration are important controls.