Identification of Hydrogeochemically Active Regimes in Groundwaters of Erode District, Tamilnadu – A Statistical Approach

Abstract

Water chemistry plays a notable role in determining the quality and utility. There are several factors influencing the water chemistry in the hard rock terrain of Erode district. Samples were collected in four different seasons and analysed for the major and minor ions. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis like correlation, factor and factor score analysis. In order to get the interrelationship of these ions and the dominant sources representing the water chemistry, correlation and factor analysis were carried out. The correlation analysis helps in the determination of the spinal and the seasonal species/ions. Na, Mg, Cl, Ca and SO $_4$ were determined as the spinal species and F, NO $_3$ , K and PO $_4$ as the seasonal species. The factor analysis reveals that the anthropogenic sources play a significant role in the water chemistry. As it is a complex geochemical system, and represented by several factors, the first three dominant factors were spatially distributed by their factor scores, in order to get the dominant hydrogeochemical regimes.