Abstract. The solution mining of salt mineral resources may contaminate
groundwater and lead to water inrush out of the ground due to brine leakage.
Through the example of a serious groundwater inrush hazard in a large salt-mining area in Tongbai County, China, this study mainly aims to analyse the
source and channel of the inrushing water. The mining area has three
different types of ore beds including trona (trisodium hydrogendicarbonate
dihydrate, also sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate, with the formula
Na2CO3 × NaHCO3 × 2H2O, it is a
non-marine evaporite mineral), glauber (sodium sulfate, it is the inorganic
compound with the formula Na2SO4 as well as several
related hydrates) and gypsum (a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium
sulfate dihydrate, with chemical formula CaSO4 × 2H2O).
Based on characterisation of the geological and hydrogeological conditions,
the hydrochemical data of the groundwater at different points and depths were
used to analyse the pollution source and the pollutant component from single
or mixed brine by using physical–chemical reaction principle analysis and
hydrogeochemical simulation method. Finally, a possible brine leakage
connecting the channel to the ground was discussed from both the geological and
artificial perspectives. The results reveal that the brine from the trona mine is
the major pollution source; there is a NW–SE fissure zone controlled by the
geological structure that provides the main channels through which brine can
flow into the aquifer around the water inrush regions, with a large number
of waste gypsum exploration boreholes channelling the
polluted groundwater inrush out of the ground. This research can be a
valuable reference for avoiding and assessing groundwater inrush hazards in
similar rock-salt-mining areas, which is advantageous for both groundwater
quality protection and public health.