geochemical investigation

This paper describes the results of geohydrological studies conducted at Matsopa Mine, where a shallow bentonite body is mined, to investigate the potential impacts of mining on the groundwater environment. An understanding of such potential impacts is crucial since the communitiesin the area are dependent solely on groundwater for their domestic water supply.

The past few years hydraulic fracturing has been a hotly researched topic. Currently, most published documents are just speculation of what can happen if hydraulic fracturing is to take place in South Africa. There is very little work done to firstly establish a baseline on the current groundwater quality and secondly look at the current state of the groundwater around the Soekor wells. For these reasons a geochemical investigation was launched looking at the Soekor wells and the surrounding boreholes to determine a valid baseline.