Hydrogeochemical Tracers in Groundwater

Knowledge of groundwater flow paths, interactions between different waters and waters and formation material, and travel times are crucial for many mine water management applications. Geochemical and isotopic tracers can be used in numerous applications in hydrogeochemistry, including mapping flow paths, groundwater age dating, delineation of contamination plumes, mixing of waters, and identifying sources of waters. This presentation will provide case studies of different geochemical and isotropic tracers used in mine settings, as well as analytical and sampling techniques used. Some tracers covered include tritium, δ34S and δ18O of sulphate, δ15N and δ18O of nitrate, conductivity, bromide, and chloride.