| Iron-rich groundwaters are common in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States. The geochemical modeling code, PHREEQ, was utilized to calculate the saturation indices and speciate iron mineral phases. The mapping software, Surfer GrapherRTM was utilized to map the distribution of iron concentrations across the study area.; The data showed that higher iron concentrations appear to coincide with the outcrop areas of the Tuscahoma and Grampian Hills Formations. The distribution dissolved iron per sample was predominate in the southern portion of the study area. The saturation indices for selected iron mineral phases suggested that ferric iron mineral phases are consistently speciated throughout the stratigraphic column, except with respect to siderite (FeCO 3). The preliminary model suggests that as iron becomes less available downgradient as conditions for siderite precipitation are most likely to occur in the upgradient portions of the Grampian Hills and the downgradient portions of the Tuscahoma. |
