The effect of precipitation and lithology on hydrochemical characteristics of the Karstic Springs in North Khorasan Province

Karstic aquifers are vital water resources which are used for irrigation and drinking purposes in arid and semi-arid regions. Understanding of the hydrogeological behavior of these springs and the qualitative tracing of these water resources are the first step in their better management. There are wide outcrops of Tirgan karstic formation in the study area, in the north of Khorasan province. In this area, there are a few karstic springs the discharge rate ranges from 50 to 500 lit/s. The recharge area characteristics of these springs vary significantly with their elevation, catchment size, thickness of epikarst and degree of karstification. In this study, temporal and spatial hydrogeochemcal variations of the five karstic springs including Arnaveh, Rezghaneh, Estarkhi, Ghordanlo and Sarani and 3 rain stations are investigated during one year period. The effects of both precipitation and lithology on the chemistry of these karstic springs are also considered. The dominant rain water types are Ca-SO4-Cl and Ca-HCO3 which change into Ca-Mg- HCO3 type during ground water flow in karstic system. This karstic aquifer is recharged during winter snowfall. The EC values of the rainfall vary from 70 µmohs/cm in Namanloo station to 100 and 150 µmohs/cm in Estarkhi and Ghale Barbar stations, respectively. The summer precipitations have more EC value than winter precipitations. This is due to long trajectory of air masses through arid regions with dust particles. The time series variations of discharge value are negligible in some karstic springs except for Sarani and Estarkhi springs. Hydrochemical composition of Sarani, Ghordanlo and Estarkhi springs are mostly affected by precipitation; while, Arnaveh and Rezghaneh springs with the same precipitation composition in this area have higher EC values. This is due to soil cover in catchment area, dissolution of clay minerals and diffusion.