Geochemical signature and environmental background of bottom sediments in a tropical aquatic system: the Três Marias Reservoir, Brazil.

Understanding geochemical provenances and their respective geochemical background values is crucial to sustain a proper comprehension of a tropical ecosystem and provides a compatible evaluation for further environmental policy and monitoring. In this research, the concentrations of Mg, Al, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, Cd, Ti, Mn, Ni, Zn, Ba, Pb, and organic matter were measured in 78 samples of bottom sediments in order to evaluate the influence of geogenic and anthropogenic chemical sources in the Três Marias reservoir. Data exploration analysis, multivariate techniques using compositional data, multielemental mapping, geochemical background based on land-use management and geological domains, and enrichment factors were applied to understand the environmental dynamics. Geochemical signatures highlight three pronounced geological structures that control the sediment supply in the Três Marias reservoir: ultramafic rocks from the Mata da Corda Formation, carbonates from the Três Marias Formation, and pedogenic cover formed by tropical Latossoils. The median values of Cu, Ti, and Pb are 28.83 mg/kg, 20.36 mg/kg, and 24.92 mg/kg, respectively, all of which exceed the average upper continental crust concentrations. Pb and Cu ratios reach the threshold effect level, whereas Cr reaches the probable effect level proposed in the CONAMA 454/2012 (Brazilian environmental guidelines). This research conjugates multielemental mapping, background evaluation, and enrichment factors to elucidate the geochemistry dynamics of the Três Marias reservoir in the sense of understanding the behavior of the bottom sediments and to define geochemical reference values for the upper São Francisco basin.