Premium
Geochemistry and Genesis of Fluoride‐Containing Ground Waters in India
Author(s) -
Handa B. K.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1975.tb03086.x
Subject(s) - fluoride , fluorite , groundwater , supersaturation , nitrate , chemistry , geochemistry , environmental chemistry , geology , mineralogy , inorganic chemistry , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
The fluoride content of ground water in India varies considerably. Among factors which control the concentration of fluoride are the climate of the area and the presence of the accessory minerals, fluorite and (or) apatite in the rock mineral assemblage through which ground water is circulating. Regional and tectonic factors also play some part in affecting the fluoride concentration of ground waters. In general, there is a negative correlation between calcium and fluoride concentrations and a positive correlation between fluoride and bicarbonate concentration in ground waters with high fluoride content. Thermodynamic calculations show that some of these high fluoride ground waters are supersaturated with respect to fluorite. In water sources from Rajasthan, high fluoride concentrations are generally accompanied by high nitrate concentrations. A solution‐evaporation‐base exchange hypothesis is put forward to explain the genesis of these ground waters. In some parts of India, the fluoride content of ground waters is below 0.5 mg/1, indicating that fluoridation of water supplies may be desirable in these places.