A set of analytical data from the Espadán-Calderona Triassic Domain aquifers was processed using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), to achieve a quantitative and independent approach to investigate the characteristics of groundwater composition and possible differences between groundwater flows from Triassic aquifers from the Espadán-Calderona Triassic Domain (Spain). Mineralization in the Triassic series has led to the presence of several metals and metalloids in groundwater, including As, Mn, Fe and U. These are associated with fresher bicarbonate groundwaters, characterized by lower Sr/Ba ratios. Levels containing sulfate evaporitic salt, which are interbedded through the Triassic series, seem to exert a strong influence on the chemistry of several groundwaters, characterized by calcium sulfate facies with high Sr concentration and high Sr/Ba ratios. The application of multivariate statistical techniques to the interpretation of analytical results allows the differentiation of groundwater types occurring in the Triassic aquifers and identification of the role of a number of minor or trace elements and their ratios that can be treated as hydrogeochemical tracers. With them it was possible to correlate the different recharge waters with the tectonic morphology of the Espadán-Calderona Triassic Domain.
Keywords: Hydrogeochemistry; Iberian Cordillera; Metal tracers; Seawater intrusion; Spain; Triassic aquifers.
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