ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Hydrochemical Characteristics and Quality Assessment of Limestone Groundwater in the Taiyuan Formation: A Case Study from the Qingdong Coal Mine, China
Xu Liu 1
,
 
Jiying Xu 1,2
,
 
,
 
,
 
Jie Ma 1
 
 
 
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1
School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Suzhou University, Suzhou, 234000, Anhui, China
 
2
Coal Industry Engineering Research Center for Exploration and Early Warning of Mine Water Disaster, Anhui University of Science and Technology, 232000, Huainan, Anhui, China
 
3
School of Environment and Surveying and Mapping Engineering, Suzhou University, Suzhou, 234000, Anhui, China
 
 
Submission date: 2026-02-06
 
 
Final revision date: 2026-04-13
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-04-21
 
 
Online publication date: 2026-09-03
 
 
Corresponding author
Jiying Xu   

School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Suzhou University, Suzhou, 234000, Anhui, China
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
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ABSTRACT
This study investigates the hydrochemical characteristics and water quality of limestone water in the Taiyuan Formation at Qingdong Coal Mine, China. A total of 20 water samples were collected and analyzed for major ions. Statistical analysis, Piper and Gibbs diagrams, and ion correlation methods were applied to understand the hydrochemical characteristics and water-rock interactions. Water quality was assessed using single-factor, Nemerow, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation methods. The results show that the groundwater is slightly alkaline and brackish, dominated by Na+, Ca2+, SO42‒, and Cl, with the primary hydrochemical type being Ca·Na+K-SO4·Cl. Water quality assessment indicates that the groundwater is predominantly Class IV and V, with sulfate as the most significant pollutant. These findings provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management of groundwater resources in coal mining regions by elucidating the evaporation-driven hydrochemical evolution of the Taiyuan Formation limestone aquifer.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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