Affiliations: Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University,
Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram - 608002, India. E-mail: chidambaram_s@rediffmail.com | School of Environmental Sciences, JNU, New Delhi - 110
067
Abstract: Water chemistry plays a notable role in determining the quality and
utility. There are several factors influencing the water chemistry in the hard
rock terrain of Erode district. Samples were collected in four different
seasons and analysed for the major and minor ions. The results obtained were
subjected to statistical analysis like correlation, factor and factor score
analysis. In order to get the interrelationship of these ions and the dominant
sources representing the water chemistry, correlation and factor analysis were
carried out. The correlation analysis helps in the determination of the spinal
and the seasonal species/ions. Na, Mg, Cl, Ca and SO_4 were determined as the
spinal species and F, NO_3, K and PO_4 as the seasonal species. The factor
analysis reveals that the anthropogenic sources play a significant role in the
water chemistry. As it is a complex geochemical system, and represented by
several factors, the first three dominant factors were spatially distributed by
their factor scores, in order to get the dominant hydrogeochemical regimes.
Keywords: Hydrogeochemistry, correlation, factor and factor score
