Arsenic Mineral in Volcanic Tuff, a Source of Arsenic Anomaly in Groundwater: City of Chihuahua, Mexico

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2022

Publication Title

Geosciences

Volume

12

Issue

2

First page number:

1

Last page number:

21

Abstract

Arsenic is a naturally occurring trace element that causes many health effects when present in drinking water. Elevated arsenic concentrations in water are often attributed to nearby felsic volcanic sequences; however, the specific rock units to which the groundwater anomalies can be accredited are rarely identified. The groundwater from wells around the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, contains high arsenic content. Arsenic in groundwater increases toward the base rock containing Tertiary volcanic rocks. Through detailed scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron microprobe (EMP) work, arsenic minerals are identified in the cavities of the Tertiary volcanic tuff from the northeast part of the Tabalaopa Basin, city of Chihuahua. Arsenic minerals, the As–Sr–Al phase (a possible arsenogoyazite–arsenoflorencite group mineral) crystallized in the vesicles of the tuff and the As–Y bearing phase included in biotite, prevail in the studied Tertiary volcanic outcrops. Based on the current study, the arsenic anomaly in the Tabalaopa–Aldama aquifer corresponds to these arsenic phases in the Tertiary volcanic rocks.

Keywords

arsenic; Tertiary magmatism; tuff; arsenogoyazite; arsenoflorencite; REE

Disciplines

Volcanology

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