Geochemical Implication of Chemical Composition of Mineral Water (Bottled Water) Produced Near Mt. Baekdu (Changbai), Northeast China

Two kinds of bottled mineral water from wells located in the northern (Baeksansu, BSS) and southern (Baekdusansu, BDS) areas near Mt. Baekdu (Changbai) were collected in order to monitor the chemical compositions of the groundwater near a potential volcanic area. The bottled water was produced between August 2014 and June 2017, and corresponds to the Na-HCO3 water type. The trend in variation of each chemical component between the two bottled waters was different. The BDS bottled water from the southern area of Mt. Baekdu showed a dramatic change in chemical composition during the study period, whereas the BSS bottled water from the northern area did not show any significant change in chemical composition. In particular, the BDS bottled water showed either systematic increases or decreases of chemical components relative to the Cl concentrations. However, the BSS bottled water did not show such trends. It was confirmed that the chemical composition in the groundwater was constant, even though the monitoring period lasted for about two years. Our data indicate that it may be possible to use the chemical composition of the bottle water produced from the groundwater in the volcanic area as a proxy for monitoring the geochemical environmental change of the groundwater aquifer.