Evaluating the causes of increased salinity of deep groundwater in Gol Gohar iron ore mine

One of the factors reducing the chemical quality of groundwater used in the industry is a gradual increase of ions concentration. These ions can affect the mineral processing and reduce mining efficiency by corrosion or sedimentation in the path of water circulation. In Gol Gohar Iron ore mine, the rate of salinity in groundwater has increased significantly in recent years. Because brine groundwater in the mine is used to produce pulp in concentrators, its quality has been a matter of concern. In this study, different factors affecting the groundwater quality and causing salinity increase are studied. These factors include quality of groundwater inflow, surface water infiltration, lithology of the region, depth of mining, saturated thickness of the aquifer, changes of hydraulic gradient, ground water circulation path, water budget, isotopic properties of water and groundwater evaporation.