CHEMICAL AND ISOTOPE CHARACTERISTIC

OF THE SURFACE WATER IN KARST

DOMINATED AREA OF KINTA VALLEY,
MALAYSIA
Intro
 Surface water chemistry provides important
information on the dissolved loads, chemical
weathering, and the isotopic and chemical
characteristics of the drainage basin
 water chemistry of the basin is largely

controlled by the process of chemical

weathering of source rocks in the drainage
area, mainly by carbonate dissolution
 The watershed of Kinta Valley contains
different parent materials, including granite,
meta-sediments, alluvium, and carbonate
rock.
 The chemical compositions of river and pond

water samples collected from about 29

localities throughout Kinta Valley were
determined in order to describe the major
hydro-geochemical processes.
Study area
 The sampling points covered a wide area that
included different lithologies and various human
activities. The rivers show the variability in
sediment and dissolved load, primarily in
response to the lithology, river-bedslope, and
human interference, such as deforestation,
cultivation, and urbanisation.
 The results of this study added to the
understanding of water resources management,
particularly in understanding the geochemical and
atmospheric processes that affect water quality.
 The Kinta Valley is a lowland area underlain largely by
alluvium and subsurface karst enclosed by the Main
Range and the Kledang Range, which are granite.
 The Main Range lies between Mount Kerbau (2,182 m
high) and Mount Peggantong (1,445 m high) which
has an altitude of over 1,464 m and is composed of
porphyritic biotite granite.
 While the Main Range granite dominates the eastern
part of Kinta Valley, the western part is dominated by
Kledang Range granite, which is an offshoot of the
Main Range Granite. The highest level of the range is
Gunung Kledang (807 m)
 In the lowland area of the central part of the Kinta Valley,
alluvium is the major sediment, covering most of the
lowland area. Most of the bedrock beneath the alluvium is
limestone.
 The river basin area of the Kinta Valley roughly forms a
herringbone pattern, which is governed by the shape of
the valley
 The tributaries of the Kinta River are more important
eastern side than on the western side, since the mountain
range is much higher and extensive. In addition, the
eastern part shows a distinct lithological setting whereby
the river flows from the granite to the limestone area
before flowing through the alluvium floodplain.
Methodology
 A total of 80 ( n = 80) river water samples
were taken from 23 locations and 20 ( n =
20) pond water samples were taken from six
locations. The samples were collected in April
2008, April 2009, during low flow in June
2008, and during high flow in October and
November 2008.
 The three types of water samples collected

included raw samples, acidified samples, and

isotopic samples
 All the stable isotope samples were measured for D-
H2O and 18O-H2O using a SerCon GEO 20-20
Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (CF-
IRMS).
 Major cation concentrations (Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+1, and
K+1) were determined using an Inductively Coupled
Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometers (ICP-OES Optima
5300DV)
 Major anions were analyzed by an 861 Advanced
Compact Ion Chromatograph (IC).
 Acid titration methods by 702 SM Titrino, Methrohm Auto
Titrator were used to determine the concentration of
alkalinity (HCO3-1 and CO3-2) in the water.
Results
 The average pH in the river water was between
6.9 to 7.6 and the average total dissolved
solids (TDS) in the river water ranged from7.57
mg/l to 151.9 mg/l.
 The EC of the river water varied from a low
value of 16.72 µS/cm to a high value of311
µS/cm. The lowest conductivity and TDS were
observed at the sampling points located
upstream in the river, where water that drained
from the granitic formation was located.
 The pond waters were slightly neutral to mildly
alkaline, with an average pH ranging from 7.4 to
8.1. The average Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) in
the pond water ranged from39.78 mg/l to
129.15 mg/l.
 The pond waters showed the highest electrical

conductivity (EC) with an average value 145.5

µS/cm to 270.0 µS/cm, and the salinity of the
pond water was0.1 mg/l. High conductivity in
the pond water could be a result of the karstic
geological setting of the pond.
River and pond waters from
Kinta Valley were plotted
between silicate and
carbonate end-members. No
evaporation had been
reported in that area, which
suggests that these samples
are probably not related to
evaporative dissolution. It is
more likely that the chemical
composition was related
directly to the rainwater
composition, except for S16,
which had a low TDS of 12.0
mg/l. These results indicate
that silicate weathering was
the predominant mechanism
that contributed to the
Na+1/K+1-rich water and
that carbonate weathering
had a significant influence
on the Ca+2/Mg+2-rich
water.
 Plot of TDS vs. Na+1/(Na+1+Ca+2) diagram (Figure
3), there are three major mechanisms that control
surface water chemistry, i.e., atmospheric
input/precipitation, rock weathering, and
evaporation. River water of the Kinta Valley can be
divided into two groups:
 1) river water found in the rock weathering-
dominant field and
 2) river water found in the precipitation-dominant
field.
 The samples within the circle represent the samples
that were located upstream in the river and fall
below the shaded region. These samples probably
reflect the composition of the precipitation in the
area
 The rest of the river water and pond water samples
(rectangular shape) that fall within the shaded area
indicate that the major mechanism controlling the
surface water chemistry of the study area was
chemical weathering of rocks, with a minor
contribution from the atmosphere.
  a plot of saturation indices for calcite with total
dissolved solids (TDS), shows a positive trend. It
SCHIST
& ALLU
VIUM is evident from the plot that there is a distinct
break between the different lithologies that the
river flowed through.
 The lowest values of both properties in the
catchment is in granite areas with calcite SI at
about <-2. All of the samples that had the
lowest values were taken upstream in the river.
 An SI value of more than -2 but less than -1
represents the catchment that is underlain by
alluvium and schist. Even though the catchment
was above the alluvium and small occurrences
of schist, it was actually located above the
limestone basement. As the river flow passes
through the limestone area (limestone hill), the
calcite SI becomes greater with SI = >-1. The SI
in the pond water was higher that the SI in the
river water. Most of the pond water was
oversaturated with respect to calcite (SI > 0).
 The evolution of water and its relationship
between rock types and water compositions
can be evaluated by using a Piper Diagram
 Type I waters belonging to the NaHCO3 type
were collected upstream in the rivers that
drain the granite area.
 The water in the rivers was characterized by
low Ca+2 and high Na+1, K+1, and HCO3-1
ions, compared to other dissolved ions.
 Type II waters belonging to the CaHCO3 type
were collected from the tributaries that drain
carbonates in the lower part of the upstream
rivers. The river waters were characterized by
high concentrations of Ca+2. The water
chemistry evolved from NaHCO3 upstream to
CaHCO3 in the downstream areas.
 Type III waters belong to the pond water with
CaHCO3 type and are characterized by high
Ca+2 and SO4-2 content.
 major cation and anion concentrations in the
river waters were generally in the order of Ca2+
> Na+1 > K+1 > Mg+2 and HCO3-1 > CO3-2
> NO2-1 > SO4-2.
 The concentration of ionic strength in the river
can change repeatedly, and the ionic content
may possibly change along the length of the
river. This could be due to changes in lithology,
chemical processes along the river, discharge
from groundwater flow, and human
interference
 The means of δ18O and δD of river
water are -7.22 and -44.78,
respectively. The means of δ18O
and δD of pond water are -5.88 and
-39.78, respectively. Some of the
δ18O and δD falls along the Global
Meteoric Water Line (GMWL),
suggesting that the river and pond
waters are commonly from the
meteoric water
Conclusion
 The water-rock interaction study indicated that
the water chemistry is controlled mainly by the
process of chemical weathering of source rocks
in the drainage area.
 The isotope study of oxygen and hydrogen
recorded that the precipitation of Kinta Valley is
affected by evaporation during rainfall. The
isotopes in the surface water of the Kinta Valley
are affected significantly by evaporation from
open surfaces and give a low slope value from
the initial value.