Angela Nigro

Boron isotopes in groundwater: Evidence from contamination and interaction with terrigenous–evaporitic sequence, east-central Italy

Boron isotope composition was used to identify boron sources in groundwater in the eastern part of central Italy, on the west side of the lower alluvial plane of the Pescara river, a few kilometres from the coastline. This area was characterized by two possible boron sources: human activity and a geogenic source. We collected 10 water samples during two sampling surveys, in October 2015 and February 2016. We conducted chemical analyses to determine major ions, boron concentrations and boron isotope values. The results obtained highlight that the groundwater is characterized by high mineralization with electrical conductivity values that reach 8180 µS/cm. Sodium and chloride are the principal ions, reaching values that exceed 3000 mg/L. Boron values exceed the limit provide by Italian legislation for groundwater (1 mg/L) in many samples, reaching the maximum value of 9630 µg/L during February 2016. The isotope values allow the identification of different sources of boron such as landfill leachate, rock leaching and water–rock interaction with terrigenous–evaporitic sequence. This manuscript highlights that isotope analyses are a powerful tool for monitoring and environmental planning.

Assessment of groundwater quality in the buffer zone of Limpopo National Park, Gaza Province, Southern Mozambique

Many areas in the Southern African Development Community are data-poor and poorly accessible. Water quality assessment in these areas therefore has to rely on the limited available data, coupled with restricted field sampling. This paper documents the first evaluation of the main geochemical processes and impact of anthropogenic and natural sources of contamination on the groundwater quality of the aquifer system used for domestic and agricultural purposes in Limpopo National Park, Gaza Province, Southern Mozambique. Twenty-five groundwater and surface water samples were collected during two field campaigns, one in October 2016 (the end of the arid period) and the other in March 2017 (the end of the wet period). In the field, the researchers analysed chemical–physical parameters such as temperature, pH and EC. In the laboratory, the major ions (boron, Na+, Ca2+, K+, Mg2+) and anions (Cl−, SO42−, NO3−, HCO3−, CO32−) were determined, and almost all groundwater samples fall into the brackish water category. The B/Cl ratio and δ11B concentrations were then measured to better understand the origin of these brackish waters. The direct relationship between boron and chlorine and δ11B concentrations above 40‰ suggests the presence of fossil water in the aquifer. The groundwater in this area was found to be above the limits stated as desirable by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the World Health Organisation for domestic and irrigation purposes. The suitability of the groundwater for drinking purposes was also evaluated, with the results indicating that it is not suitable. The values of the sodium absorption ratio, sodium percentage and electrical conductivity show that most of the groundwater samples are also not suitable for agricultural purposes. However, the surface waters have higher quality for both domestic and irrigation purposes. The water of Massingir Lake turns out to be the most suitable resource for a possible rural development plan for the area.

Physical inactivity in Italian Society

The Palo Laziale wood represents one of the few remaining examples of Mediterranean wetland and it was identified as a Site ofCommunity Importance (SCI) according to the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).This paper reports levels of trace elements in wetland waters and possible risk for plants. Eight water points were sampled from private wells and analysed to investigate the distribution and enrichment of heavy metals in groundwater. In particular, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb were analysed during four sampling events (from October 2010 to July 2011).The results obtained show similar temporal variation of elements. Mn, Cu, Zn and As show major values during December, while Fe present major value during March. Pb concentration shows a peak during March, probably due a failure in water pipes.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of Municipal Solid Waste landfill

In Italy landfills are the main method of waste disposal. Poor management of these areas can result in significant pollution load in the different environmental matrices, which, on the other hand, may naturally contain high amounts of some contaminants. The aim of this work is to determine the geochemical characteristics of the water circulating in the vicinity of two Municipal solid waste landfills and to evaluate their quality status considering the geological characteristics of the sites. The results show exceedances of threshold concentrations of contamination provided by Legislative Decree 152/2006 for both sites, particularly the trace elements present as contaminants are iron manganese and arsenic.

Chemical and isotopic characterization of products of small-scale hypervelocity impacts: the Gebel Kamil event

This study presents chemical and oxygen isotope data on a series of materials found in the area of the Gebel Kamil crater, a recent well preserved impact crater in southern Egypt, which was formed by the explosive impact of a metal projectile. Intracrateric target rocks, fallback deposits, impact vitreous ejecta (impactite) and recent or present-day aeolian sands have been analysed. Exposed crater wall rocks essentially consist of quartz arenites with minor siltstone beds chemically and isotopically quite distinct, the latter resulting enriched in lithophile elements (Al, K, Ba, Y, REE, etc.) and 18 O. Abundance of siderophile elements (Ni, Co, Cu) indicates that none of the exposed target rocks and recent aeolian sand deposits was contaminated by materials of the metal impactor. On the other hand, a projectile-derived component was found in all samples of fallback deposits and in impact melt ejecta. Lithophile element and isotope chemistry of the fallback deposit results intermediate between that of quartz arenite and silstone target rocks. White- light-coloured glassy ejecta representing a minor (< 10% vol.) component of the impact melted products are chemically and isotopically distinct from dark-coloured vitreous clasts. The latter are enriched in lithophile elements and also 18 O with respect to estimated “average” composition of the intracrateric target rocks. The presence of a projectile component in all samples of vitreous ejecta clasts suggests that melting of terrestrial material becomes extensive only when the projectile is directly involved in melting. The extreme variability of siderophile element ratios (e.g. Ni/Co, Ni/Cu) in materials (i.e., fallback deposits and vitreous ejecta) contaminated by projectile components suggests that significant element fractionation occurs during the explosive disruption of an impactor. A distinctive chemical and isotope signature of most of the impact melted products (i.e., dark vitreous ejecta), with respect to “average” composition of the exposed crater