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1548753 
Journal Article 
Sources of sulfur in the Nandong underground river system, southwest China: A chemical and isotopic reconnaissance 
Jiang, Y 
2012 
1 
Applied Geochemistry
ISSN: 0883-2927
EISSN: 1872-9134 
27 
8 
1463-1470 
WOS:000305809500002 
Sulfur isotopic compositions (delta S-34) and major ions
were measured in groundwater and surface waters in order to elucidate the source(s) of elevated
SO42- content in some of these waters in the Nandong Underground River System (NURS), located in
an agricultural and urbanization-dominated area in SW China. The major chemical composition of
analyzed groundwater and surface water from NURS was characterized by Ca-HCO3 or Ca (Mg)-HCO3
type in forested and grass land areas, and Ca-Cl (+NO3 + SO4) or Ca (Mg)-Cl (+NO3 + SO4) type in
urban and agricultural areas, respectively. The anomalously high SO42- concentrations in waters
collected from urban and agricultural areas indicated a likely anthropogenic origin for SO42-.
The groundwater collected from forested and grass land areas was characterized by relatively low
delta S-34-SO42-, from -1.7 parts per thousand to +4.3 parts per thousand, and low SO42-
concentrations of less than 10 mg L (1), consistent with an origin for SO42- in these waters from
a mixture of rainfall-derived SO42- and SO42- from oxidation of bedrock sulfide. High SO42-
groundwater and surface water (>20 mg L (1)) collected from urban areas was characterized by
elevated delta S-34-SO42-, from +8.3 parts per thousand to +12.1 parts per thousand, compared to
lower delta S-34-SO42- in samples from cultivated land areas (-3.7 parts per thousand to +6.4
parts per thousand), indicating that the SO42- in these two groups of waters resulted from
different anthropogenic sources. The S isotopic composition of SO42- in urban areas is consistent
with addition of SO42- from detergent/sewage, whilst in cultivated land areas isotope composition
indicates that additional SO42- could be derived from fertilizers and/or increased oxidation of
sulfide. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.