Bromide distribution characteristics of different Zechstein 2 rock salt sequences of the Southern Permian Basin: a comparison between bedded and domal salts

The bromide profile of the bedded Zechstein 2 rock salts in the Southern Permian Basin is characterized by a continuous increase in the bromide contents from base to top, indicating progressive evaporation of sea water. Former studies have suggested that the bromide distribution in domal salts is more irregular, raising such questions as whether there is a causal relationship between bromide distribution and deformation‐related processes or whether various halite types with different primary bromide contents account for such irregularities. In this study, the bromide distribution of a defined stratigraphic section (Hauptsalz) of the Zechstein 2 was investigated in three salt deposits, with bedded salt (Teutschenthal) compared with domal salts (Morsleben and Gorleben). Furthermore, two different halite types (Kristallbrocken, matrix) were distinguished during sampling. Comparison between the locations reveals that: (i) the characteristic trend of the bromide profile was generally preserved in both the bedded and the more intensely deformed domal salts; (ii) the dispersion of bromide contents along the running average curve is lower in domal salt, especially in the lower half of the Hauptsalz; and (iii) the Kristallbrocken are absent in the lower half of the Hauptsalz of Morsleben and Gorleben. The absence of the Kristallbrocken and the lower dispersion of the bromide contents in the domal salts are clear indications for the influence of salt migration‐related processes on the bromide distribution characteristics. It shows that these processes are associated with a redistribution of bromide, which eventually results in a homogenization of the originally varying bromide contents. On the other hand, preservation of the characteristic trend in the bromide profiles indicates that large‐scale brecciation, folding processes or circulating bromide‐rich fluids played only a minor role during the formation of the salt domes. Selective sampling of the Kristallbrocken and matrix halite displays a disparity in bromide content that is not consistent between the studied locations. These specific phenomena might be related to different depositional locations in the Zechstein Basin or to post‐depositional processes.     

Surface evolution of salt‐encrusted playas under extreme and continued dryness

Miocene continental saltpans are scattered in the Central Valley of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest regions on Earth. These evaporitic deposits are hydrologically inactive, and are detached from groundwater brines or aquifers. The surface of the saltpans, also known as salars, comprises desiccation polygons, commonly with nodular salt structures along their sides. The morphology and bulk mineralogy of salt polygons differs between and within salars, and the shape and internal structure of salt nodules varies between different polygon types. Based on field observation, and mineralogy and crystallography data, we generated a conceptual model for the genesis and evolution of these surface features, whereby rare rainfall events are responsible for the transformation of desiccation salt polygons and the initial formation of salt nodules along polygon borders. In addition, frequent, but less intense, deliquescence events further drive the evolution of salt nodules, resulting in a characteristic internal structure that includes laminations, and changes in porosity and crystal morphologies. As a result, and despite the extreme dryness, the surfaces of fossil salars are dynamic on timescales of several years to decades, in response to daily cycles in atmospheric moisture, and also to rare and meager rainfall events. We propose that fossil salars in the Atacama Desert represent an end stage in the evolution of evaporitic deposits under extreme and prolonged dryness. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国石盐矿床之分类

中国石盐矿产资源丰富 ,不同矿床产出地质背景、成矿条件、时空分布特征、物质组成等不尽相同。按其物相特征划分为固相矿床和液相 (卤水 )矿床两大类。前者根据产出时代及岩相特征划分为第四纪盐湖型、中新生代陆相碎屑岩型和前中生代 (含三叠纪 )海相碳酸盐型等矿床类型 ,根据不同的矿石建造还可作进一步划分。后者又可分为不同时代的地表及地下卤水矿床类型。成岩盆地受构造控制明显。有计划地综合开发利用我国盐类矿产资源有重要意义。     

Rapid recharge of fresh water to the halite‐hosted brine aquifer of Salar de Atacama,Chile

We document, analyse, and interpret direct and rapid infiltration of precipitation to the southern margin of the Salar de Atacama halite‐hosted brine aquifer during two intense precipitation events in 2012–2013. We present physical, geochemical, and stable and radioactive isotope data to detail this influx of water. The two events differ distinctly in the mechanisms of recharge. The 2012 event did not produce direct precipitation onto the salar surface, while the 2013 event did. Both events are recorded by abrupt changes in head in observation wells along the halite aquifer margin. Spatially distributed water levels rose by over 30 cm during the larger 2013 event consistent with remotely sensed observations of surface water extent. The lithium concentration and stable isotopic composition of water indicate dilution of brine and dissolution of salt with fresh water. Tritium measurements of precipitation, surface water, and groundwater all indicate modern influx of water to the halite aquifer along the southern margin. We extend these observations by examining the response of the halite aquifer as a whole to precipitation events during the period of 2000–2010. This study suggests that local recharge to the aquifer during sporadic precipitation onto the halite nucleus is an important component of the modern water budget in this hyper‐arid environment. The rapid dissolution and salinization along the southern margin of the salar halite nucleus are aided by such precipitation events contributing a modern fresh water component to the water budget of the economically valuable lithium‐rich brine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotope Reference Materials for the Analysis of Water Inclusions in Halite

Fluid inclusions represent a unique opportunity for a straightforward determination of the chemical and isotopic composition of fluids that composed the hydrosphere and atmosphere over Earth’s history. The production of reference materials in the laboratory is needed to monitor and to validate the determination of hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of water inclusions. We propose a protocol leading to the experimental synthesis of halite crystals that contain water inclusions whose δD and δ¹⁸O values can be related to those of surrounding evaporating waters where the crystals grew. Corrections to isotopic measurements were performed by applying an orthogonal projection of the raw data to the water evaporation trajectory line whose slope can be predicted by taking into account the parameters developed in the linear resistance model of Craig and Gordon (1965). Several hundreds of grams of halite reference material can be produced rapidly (within 2 d) at a low cost and can be stored within a vacuum desiccator at ambient temperature over several months or years. The described method is especially useful for the analysis of anhydrous salts and the interpretation of isotopic fractionations that operate within the surficial water cycle.     

The homogenization temperature in the fluid inclusions of Ordovician halite and paleoclimatic implication

正1 Introduction The homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions reflects the temperatures of the brines from which halite crystals grew.Therefore,it is a powerful mean to reveal the paleoclimate.Northern Shaanxi Salt Basin is located in the central and eastern of Ordos Basin.We have detail petrographical research and the homogenization     

Ordovician Seawater Composition:Evidence from Fluid Inclusions in Halite

正Fluid inclusions in halite can directly record the major composition of seawater,however Ordovician halite is very rare.Ordovician is a key time during the evolution history.However there are no Ordovician seawater data reported except from the data from the halite from the     

Origin of aragonite in a continental saline seep,north Queensland

Aragonite, low‐magnesian calcite, gypsum and halite were identified by X‐ray diffraction and electron microbeam techniques in mineral precipitates near a salt seep 50 km southwest of Charters Towers in north Queensland. The chemistry of water from the creek and from the groundwater at the salt seep shows that Mg:Ca ratios are greater than or equal to 1.5 throughout the year. The formation of halite and gypsum is due to evaporative concentration of the water at the seep and that of the carbonates, in particular aragonite, is probably due to a combination of evaporation and photosynthetic activity by diatoms.     

Degree of Brine Evaporation and Origin of the Mengyejing Potash Deposit: Evidence from Fluid Inclusions in Halite

The Mengyejing potash deposit is located in the southern port of the Simao Basin, Yunnan Province, and is hosted in mid-Cretaceous strata. The chemical compositions of fluid inclusions in halite crystals, collected from the level-610 adit in the deposit, were analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results show that the brine is of the Na-K-Mg-Ca-Cl type and has K concentrations that are distinctly higher than those of Mg and Ca, unlike normal brines associated with Cretaceous halite. The high K concentrations indicate that the degree of evaporation of the ancient Mengyejing saline lake was very high, reaching the sylvite deposition stage but rarely reaching the carnallite deposition stage. The trajectory of the H and O isotopic compositions of the brines in the halite-hosted fluid inclusions corresponds to intense evaporation, indicating that the net evaporation exceeded the net inflow of brines. These brine compositions in halite-hosted fluid inclusions were likely formed by the dissolution of previously deposited K-bearing minerals by fresh continental and/or seawater, forming a type of modified seawater, with deep hydrothermal fluids potentially supplying additional potassium. The basin likely experienced multiple seawater incursion, dissolution and redeposition events in a high-temperature environment with high evaporation rates.     

东濮凹陷沙三段高频湖平面变化及低位砂体预测

东濮凹陷沙三段沉积时期，湖平面变化频繁，有长周期，也有短周期，根据录井及岩芯等资料识别出的湖平面变化的6级周期，其变化频率约为1000次／Ma。根据计算，东濮凹陷沙三段沉积时期湖水最大深度为30m。在高位期，盆地沉积中心发育暗色泥岩夹薄层碳酸盐岩；在水位下降期，边缘相砂体不断向盆地中心进积；在低水位期，盆地沉积中心发育盐膏岩沉积，因此在垂向上常发育深水相暗色泥岩与砂岩频繁互层，以及深水相暗色泥岩与盐膏岩频繁互层。这种砂体多为低水位期三角洲成因，是东濮凹陷很重要的含油气储层。