Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analyses of arsenic groundwater geochemistry in the Hetao basin, Inner Mongolia

Abstract Although high As groundwater has been observed in shallow groundwater of the Hetao basin, little is known about As distribution in deep groundwater. Quantitative investigations into relationships among chemical properties and among samples in different areas were carried out. Ninety groundwater samples were collected from deep aquifers of the northwest of the basin. Twenty-two physicochemical parameters were obtained for each sample. Statistical methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), were used to analyze those data. Results show that As species were highly correlated with Fe species, NH 4 -N and pH. Furthermore, result of PCA indicates that high As groundwater was controlled by geological, reducing and oxic factors. The samples are classified into three clusters in HCA, which corresponded to the alluvial fans, the distal zone and the flat plain. Moreover, the combination of PCA with HCA shows the different dominant factors in different areas. In the alluvial fans, groundwater is influenced by oxic factors, and low As concentrations are observed. In the distal zone, groundwater is under suboxic conditions, which is dominated by reducing and geological factors. In the flat plain, groundwater is characterized by reducing conditions and high As concentrations, which is dominated by the reducing factor. This investigations indicate that deep groundwater in the alluvial fans mostly contains low As concentrations but high NO 3 and U concentrations, and needs to be carefully checked prior to being used for drinking water sources.