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Abstract

The plateau of Kasserine is located in Central Tunisia in an arid climate. Groundwater exploited for Miocene aquifer is the main water resource for the region. In downstream, the system is composed of unconfined Miocene sandstone with a variable thickness from 10 to 200 m. In upstream, the aquifer is overlain by a layer of marl exceeding the thickness of 200 m. Concentration of 38 parameters (major and minor elements) in 18 samples collected during February 2014, were considered to determine the origin of mineralization and the suitability of groundwater for irrigation. The understanding of the geochemical behavior was achieved by using conventional classification techniques, correlations and statistical analyses. Water mineralization is dominated by precipitation of calcite and dolomite and dissolution of halite, gypsum and anhydrite. Interpretation of analytical data showed that the water facies gradually change from Ca-HCO3 type to Ca-SO4 type and are controlled by rock-water interaction. This classification has been verified by cluster analyses which show that the wells are divided into two groups based on similar groundwater characteristics. Application of Principal Component Analysis helped to delineate the variables responsible for water quality that are mostly related to Na+, Cl-, K+, Ca2+ Mg2+et SO4 2. Sustainability of groundwater for irrigation, based on the Richards diagram, suggests that groundwater serves good irrigation quality in the area. Data points used in this study fall within the medium salinity-low sodicity (C2-S1) and high salinity-low sodicity (C3-S1) fields, which ascribe good irrigation quality to groundwater from this aquifer.

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