Isotopes in the Hueco Bolson aquifer, Texas (USA) and Chihuahua (Mexico): local and general implications for recharge sources in alluvial basins

Stable isotope data for the Hueco Bolson aquifer (Texas, USA and Chihuahua, Mexico) distinguish four water types. Two types relate to recharge from the Rio Grande: pre-dam (pre-1916) river water with oxygen-18 and deuterium (δ¹⁸O, δD, ‰) from (?11.9, ?90) to (?10.1, ?82), contrasts with present-day river water (?8.5, ?74) to (?5.3, ?56). Pre-dam water is found beneath the Rio Grande floodplain and Ciudad Juárez, and is mixed with post-dam river water beneath the floodplain. Two other types relate to recharge of local precipitation; evidence of temporal change of precipitation isotopes is present in both types. Recharge from the Franklin and Organ Mountains plots between (?10.9, ?76) and (?8.5, ?60) on the global meteoric water line (GMWL), and is found along the western side of the Hueco Bolson, north of the Rio Grande. Recharge from the Diablo Plateau plots on an evaporation trend originating on the GMWL near (?8.5, ?58). This water is found in the southeastern Hueco Bolson, north of the river; evaporation may be related to slow recharge through fine-grained sediment. Pre-dam water, recognizable by isotope composition, provides information on groundwater residence times in this and other dammed river basins.     

Origin and mixing history of brines,Palo Duro Basin,Texas, U.S.A.

Formation waters in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas, U.S.A. fall into four major groups based on integrated chemical and isotopic characteristics: (1) interbed brines within the major Permian evaporite aquitard; these are the most chemically concentrated and¹⁸O-rich fluids in the basin, and are interpreted as evaporatively concentrated sea water which has been hydrologically isolated since the Permian; (2) brines below the salt on the eastern side of the basin have ClBr, divalent cation, and isotopic systematics indicating a mixture of evaporatively concentrated sea water and meteoric water of δD= −20‰; (3) brines below the salt on the western side of the basin have chemical and isotopic systematics suggesting a mixture of two pulses of meteoric water, one with δD= −20‰ and the other with δD= −55‰; and (4) waters above the salt have the isotopic composition of meteoric waters. Diagenetic alteration of the cation chemistry has occurred for brines within and below the salt. Aquifers below the salt on the eastern side are interpreted as having been charged with dense Permian evaporite brines which subsequently mixed in various amounts with a basin-wide pulse of Triassic meteoric water. On the western side the descending Triassic meteoric waters became saline by dissolution of halite and are currently mixing with a Tertiary pulse of meteoric water initiated by the Laramide uplift to the west. The hydrochemistry suggests flow on the western side of the basin and static conditions on the eastern side. An unrecognized, approximately N-S permeability restriction, or discontinuity in the potentiometric flow surface, is inferred for major aquifers in the central area of the basin.     

Acigöl rhyolite field,central Anatolia (part II): geochemical and isotopic (Sr–Nd–Pb, δ<Superscript>18</Superscript>O) constraints on volcanism involving two high-silica rhyolite suites

The Acigöl rhyolite field erupted the most recent high-silica rhyolites within the Cappadocian Volcanic Province of central Anatolia, Turkey. It comprises two sequences of domes and pyroclastic rocks with eruption ages of ~150–200 ka (eastern group) and ~20–25 ka (western group). Compositionally, the eastern rhyolite group lavas are less evolved (SiO₂ = 74–76 wt%), whereas the western group has higher silica abundance (SiO₂ = ~77 wt%) with extremely depleted feldspar-compatible trace elements. Within each group, compositional variability is small and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51257–0.51265) and Pb isotope compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.87–18.88, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.65–15.67 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.94–38.98) are homogeneous. The western group rhyolites have δ¹⁸O(zircon) overlapping mantle values (5.7 ± 0.2‰), whereas eastern group rhyolites are enriched in δ¹⁸O by ~0.5‰, consistent with a tendency to lower εNd values. By contrast, western group rhyolites have markedly more radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7065–0.7091) compared to those of the eastern group (0.7059–0.7065). The presence of angular granitic xenoliths and a correlation between hydration (based on loss on ignition data) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the western lavas, however, indicates that Sr was added during the eruption or post-eruption alteration. Isotope constraints preclude the possibility that the rhyolite magmas formed by partial melting of any known regional crystalline basement rocks. Basalts and andesites erupted in the periphery of the Acigöl field are characterised by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios between 0.7040 and 0.7053, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.51259–0.51300, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.85–18.87, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.646–15.655, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.90–38.97. The isotopic and trace element data favour an origin of the rhyolites by mixing of basaltic/andesitic magmas with minor amounts of crustal melts and followed by extensive fractional crystallization.     

A geochemical study of the impact of irrigation and aquifer lithology on groundwater in the Upper Yakima River Basin,Washington, USA

The Yakima River, a major tributary of the Columbia River, is currently overallocated in its surface water usage in part because of large agricultural water use. As a result, groundwater availability and surface water/groundwater interactions have become an important issue in this area. In several sub-basins, the Yakima River water is diverted and applied liberally to fields in the summer creating artificial recharge of shallow groundwater. Major ion, trace element, and stable isotope geochemistry of samples from 26 groundwater wells from a transect across the Yakima River and 24 surface waters in the Kittitas sub-basin were used to delineate waters with similar geochemical signatures and to identify surface water influence on groundwater. Major ion chemistry and stable isotope signatures combined with principal component analysis revealed four major hydrochemical groups. One of these groups, collected from shallow wells within the sedimentary basin fill, displays temporal variations in NO₃ and SO₄ along with high δ¹⁸O and δD values, indicating significant contribution from Yakima River and/or irrigation water. Two other major hydrochemical groups reflect interaction with the main aquifer lithologies in the basin: the Columbia River basalts (high-Na groundwaters), and the volcaniclastic rocks of the Ellensburg Formation (Ca–Mg–HCO₃ type waters). The fourth major group has interacted with the volcaniclastic rocks and is influenced to a lesser degree by surface waters. The geochemical groupings constrain a conceptual model for groundwater flow that includes movement of water between underlying Columbia River basalt and deeper sedimentary basin fill and seasonal input of irrigation water.     

Assessing nitrate origin in a volcanic aquifer using a dual isotope approach

Identifying the origin of nitrate is important for the control and management of groundwater quality in aquifer systems. In the southern Apennines (Italy), the Mount Vulture volcanic aquifer is a large and valuable resource of potable and mineral water supply. Unfortunately, signs of anthropogenic impact, especially nitrogen contamination, have recently become evident. In this study, and for the first time, stable isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O) of NO₃ ^? were determined in groundwater to identify their origins and evaluate the presence of transformation processes. The Mount Vulture groundwaters are meteoric in origin, as demonstrated by measurements of δD and δ¹⁸O, and can be divided into two distinct areas based on their NO₃ ^? content. In the southeastern area, characterized by active agricultural land use, the high NO₃ ^? content and the δ¹⁵N–NO₃ isotopic values are due to anthropogenic contamination (inorganic fertilizer). In groundwaters from the western area, the NO₃ ^? contents below 4 mg/L and the δ¹⁵N–NO₃ values can be associated at organic soil N. Evidence for local denitrification may be assumed in a few groundwater samples of the western area showing relatively heavy δ¹⁵N values and low concentrations of nitrate. Finally, the low measured δ¹⁸O values indicate that nitrification occurred in both investigated areas.     

Hydrogeochemical investigation of surface and groundwater composition in an irrigated land in Central Tunisia

Major element concentrations, stable (δ¹⁸O and δ²H) and radiogenic (³H, ¹⁴C) isotopes determined in groundwater provided useful initial tracers for understanding the processes that control groundwater mineralization and identifying recharge sources in semi-arid Cherichira basin (central Tunisia).Chemical data based on the chemistry of several major ions has revealed that the main sources of salinity in the groundwaters are related to the water–rock interaction such as the dissolution of evaporitic and carbonate minerals and some reactions with silicate and feldspar minerals.The stable isotope compositions provide evidence that groundwaters are derived from recent recharge. The δ¹⁸O and δ²H relationships implied rapid infiltration during recharge to both the Oligocene and Quaternary aquifers, with only limited evaporation occurring in the Quaternary aquifer.Chemical and isotopic signatures of the reservoir waters show large seasonal evolution and differ clearly from those of groundwaters.Tritium data support the existence of recent recharge in Quaternary groundwaters. But, the low tritium values in Oligocene groundwaters are justified by the existence of clay lenses which limit the infiltration of meteoric water in the unsaturated zone and prolong the groundwater residence time.Carbon-14 activities confirm that groundwaters are recharged from the surface runoff coming from precipitation.     

Hydrogeochemical and isotopic evolution of water in the Complexe Terminal aquifer in the Algerian Sahara

The hydrogeochemical and isotopic evolution of groundwaters in the Mio–Pliocene sands of the Complexe Terminal (CT) aquifer in central Algeria are described. The CT aquifer is located in the large sedimentary basin of the Great Oriental Erg. Down-gradient groundwater evolution is considered along the main representative aquifer cross section (south–north), from the southern recharge area (Tinrhert Plateau and Great Oriental Erg) over about 700 km. Groundwater mineralisation increases along the flow line, from 1.5 to 8 g l^?1, primarily as a result of dissolution of evaporite minerals, as shown by Br/Cl and strontium isotope ratios. Trends in both major and trace elements demonstrate a progressive evolution along the flow path. Redox reactions are important and the persistence of oxidising conditions favours the increase in some trace elements (e.g. Cr) and also NO₃ ^?, which reaches concentrations of 16.8 mg l^?1 NO₃-N. The range in ¹⁴C, 0–8.4 pmc in the deeper groundwaters, corresponds with late Pleistocene recharge, although there then follows a hiatus in the data with no results in the range 10–20 pmc, interpreted as a gap in recharge coincident with hyper-arid but cool conditions across the Sahara; groundwater in the range 24.7–38.9 pmc signifies a distinct period of Holocene recharge. All δ¹⁸O compositions are enriched relative to deuterium and are considered to be derived by evaporative enrichment from a parent rainfall around ?11‰ δ¹⁸O, signifying cooler conditions in the late Pleistocene and possibly heavy monsoon rains during the Holocene.     

Geochemistry of О, Н, C,S, and Sr isotopes in the water and sediments of the Aral basin

The paper presents original authors' data on the O, H, C, S, and Sr isotopic composition of water and sediments from the basins into which the Aral Sea split after its catastrophic shoaling: Chernyshev Bay (CB), the basin of the Great Aral in the north, Lake Tshchebas (LT), and Minor Sea (MS). The data indicate that the δ¹⁸О, δD, δ¹³C, and δ³⁴S of the water correlate with the mineralization (S) of the basins (as of 2014): for CB, S = 135.6‰, δ¹⁸О = 4.8 ± 0.1‰, δD = 5 ± 2‰, δ¹³C (dissolved inorganic carbon, DIC) = 3.5 ± 0.1‰, δ³⁴S = 14.5‰; for LT, S = 83.8‰, δ¹⁸О = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–13.5 ± 1.5‰, δ¹³C = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δ³⁴S = 14.2‰; and for MS, S = 9.2‰, δ¹⁸О =–2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–29 ± 1‰, δ¹³C =–0.5 ± 0.5‰, δ³⁴S = 13.1‰. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of the groundwaters are similar to those in MS and principally different from the artesian waters fed by atmospheric precipitation. The mineralization, δ¹³С, and δ³⁴S of the groundwaters broadly vary, reflecting interaction with the host rocks. The average δ¹³С values of the shell and detrital carbonates sampled at the modern dried off zones of the basins are similar: 0.8 ± 0.8‰ for CB, 0.8 ± 1.4‰ for LT, and –0.4 ± 0.3‰ for MS. The oxygen isotopic composition of the carbonates varies much more broadly, and the average values are as follows: 34.2 ± 0.2‰ for CB, 32.0 ± 2.2‰ for LT, and 28.2 ± 0.9‰ for MS. These values correlate with the δ¹⁸O of the water of the corresponding basins. The carbonate cement of the Late Eocene sandstone of the Chengan Formation, which makes up the wave-cut terrace at CB, has anomalously low δ¹³С up to –38.5‰, suggesting origin near a submarine methane seep. The δ³⁴S of the mirabilite and gypsum (11.0 to 16.6‰) from the bottom sediments and young dried off zone also decrease from CB to MS in response to increasing content of sulfates brought by the Syr-Darya River (δ³⁴S = 9.1 to 9.9‰) and weakening sulfate reduction. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in the water and carbonates of the Aral basins do not differ, within the analytical error, and is 0.70914 ± 0.00003 on average. This value indicate that the dominant Sr source of the Aral Sea is Mesozoic–Cenozoic carbonate rocks. The Rb–Sr systems of the silicate component of the bottom silt (which is likely dominated by eolian sediments) of MS and LT plot on the Т = 160 ± 5 Ma, I₀ = 0.7091 ± 0.0001, pseudochron. The Rb–Sr systems of CB are less ordered, and the silt is likely a mixture of eolian and alluvial sediments.     

Preliminary isotopic studies in the Bida basin,central Nigeria

The area of the Bida basin is lacking in essential data for effective groundwater management. Hydrological studies using environmental isotopes (²H,³H,¹³C,¹⁸O) were carried out in the basin during the 1987–1988 hydrological year on samples of rainfall, streams, springs, and groundwater. The results obtained results do not indicate the presence of paleowaters; rather all groundwaters in the basin are found to be of meteoric origin as bothD and ¹⁸O values of the samples, plotted in the conventional way, align with the meteoric water line (MWL). Moreover, these data show the deeper, and apparently older, groundwater to be more depleted in the heavy stable isotopes than the shallower, relatively younger groundwaters, indicating recharge under cooler climatic conditions for the former. Measured tritium values range from 0.7 to 23.8 TU and show a variation with both depth and lithology, while at the same time indicating that active recent recharge is taking place basin-wide. The few¹³C data available were used to illustrate the effect of pumping on the carbonate geochemistry of the groundwaters. Also, the stable isotope data from the basin were compared with similar data from other parts of the country to show the continental effect.     

Spatial distribution of mean winter air temperatures in Siberian permafrost at 20−18 ka BP using oxygen isotope data

Palaeotemperature reconstruction for the period of 20?18 ka BP in Siberia is here based on δ¹⁸O analysis and ¹⁴C dating of large syngenetic ice wedges. Dozens of yedoma exposures, from Yamal Peninsula to Chukotka, have been studied. Snow meltwater is considered to be the main source of ice‐wedge ice. The modern relationship between δ¹⁸O composition of ice‐wedge ice and winter temperature is used as a base for reconstruction. In modern ice wedges (elementary veins that have accumulated during the last 60–100 years) δ¹⁸O fluctuates between ?14 and ?20‰ in western Siberia and between ?23 and ?28‰ in northern Yakutia. The trend in δ¹⁸O distribution in ice wedges dated at 20?18 ka BP is similar to the modern one. For example, the δ¹⁸O values in Late Pleistocene wedges are more negative going from west to east by 8–10‰, i.e. from ?19 to ?25‰ in western Siberian ice wedges to ?30 to ?35‰ in northern Yakutia. However, values are as high as ?28 to ?33‰ in north Chukotka and the central areas of the Magadan Region and even as high as ?23 to ?29‰ in the east of Chukotka. The same difference between the oxygen isotope composition of ice wedges in the eastern and western regions of Siberian permafrost (about 8–10‰) is also preserved from 20?18 ka BP to the present: δ¹⁸O values obtained from large ice wedges from the Late Pleistocene vary from ?19 to ?25‰ in western Siberia to ?30 to ?35‰ in northern Yakutia. We conclude that, at 20?18 ka BP, mean January temperatures were about 8–12°C lower (in Chukotka up to 17–18°C) than at present.     

Geothermal gradients and heat flow variations in parts of the eastern Niger delta,Nigeria

Geothermal gradients and present day heat flow values were evaluated for about seventy one wells in parts of the eastern Niger delta, using reservoir and corrected bottom–hole temperatures data and other data collected from the wells. The results showed that the geothermal gradients in the shallow/continental sections in the Niger delta vary between 10 - 18° C/km onshore, increasing to about 24° C/km seawards, southwards and eastwards. In the deeper (marine/paralic) section, geothermal gradients vary between 18 - 45° C/km. Heat flow values computed using Petromod 1–D modeling software and calibrated against corrected BHT and reservoir temperatures suggests that heat flow variations in this part of the Niger delta range from 29–55 mW/m² (0.69–1.31 HFU) with an average value of 42.5 mW/m² (1.00 HFU). Heat flow variations in the eastern Niger delta correspond closely to variations in geothermal gradients. Geothermal gradients increase eastwards, northwards and seawards from the coastal swamp. Vertically, thermal gradients in the Niger delta show a continuous and non-linear relationship with depth, increasing with diminishing sand percentages. As sand percentages decrease eastwards and seawards, thermal gradient increases. Lower heat flow values (< 40 mW/m²) occur in the western and north central parts of the study area. Higher heat flow values (40 - 55 mW/m²) occur in the eastern and northwestern parts of the study area. A significant regional trend of eastward increase in heat flow is observed in the area. Other regional heat flow trends includes; an eastwards and westwards increase in heat flow from the central parts of the central swamp and an increase in heat flow from the western parts of the coastal swamp to the shallow offshore. Vertical and lateral variations in thermal gradients and heat flow values in parts of the eastern Niger delta are influenced by certain mechanisms and geological factors which include lithological variations, variations in basement heat flow, temporal changes in thermal gradients and heat flow, related to thicker sedmentary sequence, prior to erosion and evidenced by unconformities, fluid redistribution by migration of fluids and different scales of fluid migration in the sub-surface and overpressures.     

Stable isotopes (2H, 18O and 13C) in groundwaters from the northwestern portion of the Guarani Aquifer System (Brazil)

The groundwater flow pattern of the western part of the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS), Brazil, is characterized by three regional recharge areas in the north, and a potentiometric divide in the south, which trends north–south approximately. Groundwater flow is radial from these regional recharge areas toward the center of Paraná Sedimentary Basin and toward the western outcrop areas at the border of the Pantanal Matogrossense, because of the potentiometric divide. The isotopic composition of GAS groundwater leads to understanding the paleoclimatic conditions in the regional recharge areas. The δ¹⁸O and δ²H isotopic ratios of GAS groundwaters vary, respectively, from –9.1 to –4.8‰ V-SMOW and –58.4 to –21.7‰ V-SMOW. In the recharge zones, enriched δ¹⁸O values are observed, while in the confined zone lighter δ¹⁸O values are observed. These suggest that climatic conditions were 10°C cooler than the present during the recharge of these waters. The δ¹³C ratios in groundwater of GAS, in the study area, vary from –19.5 to –6.5‰ VPDB, increasing along the regional flow lines toward the confined zone. This variation is related to dissolution of carbonate cement in the sandstones.     

Refined δ<Superscript>13</Superscript>С trend of the Dal’nyaya Taiga series of the Ura uplift (Vendian,southern part of Middle Siberia)

New data were obtained on δ¹³С_carb and δ¹⁸O variations in the sequence of deposits of the Dal’nyaya Taiga series at the western and eastern flanks of the Ura anticline. The summary δ¹³С curve was plotted in view of the correlation of sequence–stratigraphic data of the basin analysis. A series of positive anomalies was found within the succession. Alternatives for global chemostratigraphic correlation of the Dal’nyaya Taiga series of the Ura uplift were considered.     

Environmental isotopes in determining groundwater flow systems, northern part of Epirus, Greece

On the basis of the isotopic composition of water in the northern part of Epirus, Greece, from springs at different altitudes with well-defined recharge areas, the altitude effect on the δ¹⁸O value of groundwater is –0.142±0.003ö (100?m)^–1 and is uniform over the entire study area. Using the δ¹⁸O composition of surface water and groundwaters, the contribution of Ioannina Lake and the channel draining the lake water to the Kalamas River to the recharge of springs and boreholes was confirmed and quantitatively defined. In contrast, the Voidomatis and Vikos Rivers are not sources for recharge of the big springs along their banks. However, water from the Aoos River does replenish the aquifer in the unconsolidated deposits underlying the plain of Konitsa. In addition, limestones of Senonian–Late Eocene ages, dolomites, and limestones of the "Vigles" facies are hydraulically interconnected, and the limestones of the "Pantokrator" facies are hydraulically isolated from the other carbonate formations.     

A sedimentological and stable isotopic study of travertines and associated sediments within Upper Triassic lacustrine limestones, South Wales, UK

The Upper Triassic in South Wales is composed of up to 100 m of red, dolomitic mudstones of the Mercia Mudstone Group which overlie and are laterally equivalent to basin margin coarse clastic deposits. In the Sully Island and Dinas Powys areas, a series of carbonate deposits was laid down within small basins adjacent to the main Bristol Channel Basin. The rocks consist of dolomites containing replaced evaporites, overlain by perilittoral freshwater limestones. The limestones are fenestral intrasparites and contain abundant pedogenic and stromatolitic horizons, as well as locally developed travertines. Evidence for vadose diagenesis within the limestones is common. The travertines consist of sheets of fibrous calcite (flowstone) associated with pisoids and flöe calcite. Most of the travertines consist of single sheets several millimetres in thickness although ‘mounds’up to 1 m in height and 5 m in diameter are also present. The topmost metre of the limestones, which has been dolomitized, is deformed into tepee and megapolygonal structures. The carbon and oxygen stable isotopic composition of the limestones suggests that they were precipitated in low salinity waters. Successive samples from individual bands of flowstone show a covariance of δ¹⁸C and δ¹³C which is consistent with the mixing of resurgent groundwaters with pools of more evolved waters at the surface. The sedimentological and geochemical evidence suggests that the limestones were deposited in a small, enclosed basin fed by upwelling meteoric groundwaters in an environment distinct from that in which the laterally equivalent gypsiferous red mudstones were formed.     

A test of models of fluvial architecture and palaeosol development: Camp Rice Formation (Upper Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene), southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA

Numerical, experimental and theoretical models of fluvial architecture and palaeosol development are tested with outcrops of Upper Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene sediment in the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico. The sediment was deposited and subsequently exhumed in the Jornada del Muerto basin, a westward-tilted half graben whose footwall corresponds to the Rincon Hills and San Diego Mountain fault blocks. The axial river, the ancestral Rio Grande, shared time between the Jornada del Muerto basin and the adjacent Corralitos basin. The ancestral Rio Grande entered the Jornada del Muerto basin via a gap between the footwall blocks, periodically flowing southward towards San Diego Mountain, or making a broad northward sweep into the northern fluvial salient towards the Rincon Hills fault block and unfaulted northern edge of the basin. Ten logged sections up to 35 m thick are correlated using the top of the formation (La Mesa surface), a 1·59 Ma pumice conglomerate, and a ground-water carbonate/opal bed. Additionally, one of the sections is dated by reversal magnetostratigraphy. Consistent with the model of Bridge & Leeder (1979 ) and Bridge & Mackey (1993a ), differential tilting of the Jornada del Muerto half graben resulted in sections directly adjacent to the faults that consist almost exclusively of multistorey channel sands/sandstones, whereas more distal sections contain a greater proportion of crevasse-splay fine sand and overbank mudstone and calcic palaeosols. Along the axis of the northern fluvial salient, a northward decrease in channel/floodplain ratio, a decrease in channel recurrence interval from 171 kyr to 685 kyr, and an increase in the maturity of calcic palaeosols are consistent with southward tilt of the unfaulted northern edge of the basin. An upsection decrease in sediment accumulation rate in the northern fluvial salient from 0·036 mm/ yr to 0·017 mm/ yr corresponds to an increase in the ratio of channel/floodplain facies and in the number of multistorey channel sands/sandstones, and is consistent with the model of Bridge & Leeder (1979 ) in which avulsion frequency is independent of sediment accumulation rate. Stage II and III calcic palaeosols indicate 10³−10⁵ year of landscape stability and soil formation between periods of floodplain deposition in response not only to basin tilting but also because the ancestral Rio Grande had multiple paths within the Jornada del Muerto basin and shared time between the Corralitos and Jornada del Muerto basins.     

Diverse mantle and crustal components in lavas of the NW Cerros del Rio volcanic field,Rio Grande Rift,New Mexico

Products of Pliocene (2–4 Ma) mafic to intermediate volcanism in the northwestern Cerros del Rio, a dominantly mafic volcanic field in the Española Basin of the Rio Grande Rift (RGR), range from 49% to 63% SiO₂ and exhibit diversity in silica saturation, trace-element patterns, and isotopic compositions. Tholeiites, which are largely confined to west of the Rio Grande, have trace-element abundances that resemble those of oceanic basalts, but with mild depletions in Nb and Ta, and high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, and high δ¹⁸O compared to typical OIB. They are regarded as asthenospherically-derived magmas contaminated with continental crust. Alkali basalts and hawaiites erupted from vents east of the Rio Grande are geochemically distinct, having generally higher overall incompatible-element abundances, but with pronounced depletions in K, Rb, Nb and Ta with respect to Th and LREE. Spatially-associated benmoreites, mugearites and latites (collectively termed “evolved” lavas) have similar trace-element characteristics to the mafic mildly-alkaline compositions, but are typically not as depleted in K. Hawaiites and evolved lavas exhibit a good negative correlation of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd with SiO₂, due to interaction with lower continental crust. The most silicic “evolved” lavas carry the highest proportions of crustal material, and consequently have higher K/Th than the related hawaiites. Several (mostly mafic) lavas contain abundant crustally-derived resorbed quartz xenocrysts in O-isotope disequilibrium with the host magma. The δ¹⁸O values of xenocrystic quartz range over 4‰, indicating a variety of quartz-bearing crustal contaminants beneath the Española Basin. The hawaiites, with their unusual combination of trace-element enrichments and depletions, cannot be generated by any process of fractionation or crustal contamination superposed on a common mantle source type (oceanic or arc-source). It is a regional mantle source type, inasmuch as it was also present beneath NW Colorado during the mid-late Cenozoic. We argue that the hawaiite source must have originally existed as arc-source mantle enriched in LILE, generated during Mesozoic to early Cenozoic subduction at the western margin of North America. This arc-source mantle lost K, Rb and Ba, but not Th or LREE, prior to magmagenesis. Selective element loss may have occurred during lithospheric thinning and uprise of hydrated phlogopitebearing peridotite-possibly as a thermal boundary layer between lithosphere and asthenosphere — to shallow mantle depths, with consequent conversion of phlogopite to amphibole (an inferior host for K, Rb and Ba). We suggest that this occurred during the early extensional phase of the northern RGR. Further extension was accompanied by partial melting and release of magma from this source and the underlying asthenosphere, which by the Pliocene was of oceanic type. The hawaiite source mantle is the product of a long history of subduction succeeded by lithospheric extension of the formerly overriding plate. Similar chemical signatures may have developed in the mantle beneath other regions with comparable histories.     

Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes of Waters in the Ordos Basin,China: Implications for Recharge of Groundwater in the North of Cretaceous Groundwater Basin

Hundreds of precipitation samples collected from meteorological stations in the Ordos Basin from January 1988 to December 2005 were used to set up a local meteoric water line and to calculate weighted average isotopic compositions of modern precipitation. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, with averages of ?7.8‰ and ?53.0‰ for δ18O and δD, respectively, are depleted in winter and rich in spring, and gradually decrease in summer and fall, illustrating that the seasonal effect is considerable. They also show that the isotopic difference between south portion and north portion of the Ordos Basin are not obvious, and the isotope in the middle portion is normally depleted. The isotope compositions of 32 samples collected from shallow groundwater (less than a depth of 150 m) in desert plateau range from ?10.6‰ to ?6.0‰ with an average of ?8.4‰ for δ18O and from ?85‰ to ?46‰ with an average of ?63‰ for δD. Most of them are identical with modern precipitation. The isotope compositions of 22 middle and deep groundwaters (greater than a depth of 275 m) fall in ranges from ?11.6‰ to ?8.8‰ with an average of ?10.2‰ for δ18O and from ?89‰ to ?63‰ with an average of ?76‰ for δD. The average values are significantly less than those of modern precipitation, illustrating that the middle and deep groundwaters were recharged at comparatively lower air temperatures. Primary analysis of 14C shows that the recharge of the middle and deep groundwaters started at late Pleistocene. The isotopes of 13 lake water samples collected from eight lakes define a local evaporation trend, with a relatively flat slope of 3.77, and show that the lake waters were mainly fed by modern precipitation and shallow groundwater.     

Spatial and temporal constraints on regional-scale groundwater flow in the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin,Atacama Desert,Chile

Aquifers within the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin (Atacama Desert, northern Chile) are the sole source of water for the coastal city of Iquique and the economically important mining industry. Despite this, the regional groundwater system remains poorly understood. Although it is widely accepted that aquifer recharge originates as precipitation in the Altiplano and Andean Cordillera to the east, there remains debate on whether recharge is driven primarily by near-surface groundwater flow in response to periodic flood events or by basal groundwater flux through deep-seated basin fractures. In addressing this debate, the present study quantifies spatial and temporal variability in regional-scale groundwater flow paths at 20.5°S latitude by combining a two-dimensional model of groundwater and heat flow with field observations and δ¹⁸O isotope values in surface water and groundwater. Results suggest that both previously proposed aquifer recharge mechanisms are likely influencing aquifers within the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin; however, each mechanism is operating on different spatial and temporal scales. Storm-driven flood events in the Altiplano readily transmit groundwater to the eastern Pampa del Tamarugal Basin through near-surface groundwater flow on short time scales, e.g., 10⁰–10¹ years, but these effects are likely isolated to aquifers in the eastern third of the basin. In addition, this study illustrates a physical mechanism for groundwater originating in the eastern highlands to recharge aquifers and salars in the western Pampa del Tamarugal Basin over timescales of 10⁴–10⁵ years.     

Sulfur Isotope Variations of Metallic Ore Deposits in the Gyeongsang Basin,South Korea

Many metallic ore deposits of the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary periods are distributed in the Gyeongsang Basin. Previous and newly analyzed sulfur isotope data of 309 sulfide samples from 56 ore deposits were reviewed to discuss the genetic characteristics in relation to granitoid rocks. The metallogenic provinces of the Gyeongsang Basin are divided into the Au–Ag(–Cu–Pb–Zn) province in the western basin where the sedimentary rocks of the Shindong and Hayang groups are distributed, Pb–Zn(–Au–Ag–Cu), Cu–Pb–Zn(–Au–Ag), and Fe–W(–Mo) province in the central basin where the volcanic rocks of the Yucheon Group are dominant, and Cu(–Mo–W–Fe) province in the southeastern basin where both sedimentary rocks of the Hayang Group and Tertiary volcanic rocks are present. Average sulfur isotope compositions of the ore deposits show high tendencies ranging from 2.2 to 11.7‰ (average 5.4‰) in the Pb–Zn(–Au–Ag–Cu) province, ?0.7 to 11.5‰ (average 4.6‰) in the Cu–Pb–Zn(–Au–Ag) province, and 3.7 to 11.4‰ (average 7.5‰) in the Fe–W(–Mo) province in relation to magnetite‐series granitoids, whereas they are low in the Au–Ag(–Cu–Pb–Zn) province in relation to ilmenite‐series granitoids, ranging from ?2.9 to 5.7‰ (average 1.7‰). In the Cu(–Mo–W–Fe) province δ³⁴S values are intermediate ranging from 0.3 to 7.7‰ (average 3.6‰) and locally high δ³⁴S values are likely attributable to sulfur derived from the Tertiary volcanic rocks during hydrothermal alteration through faults commonly developed in this region. Magma originated by the partial melting of the ³⁴S‐enriched oceanic plate intruded into the volcanic rocks and formed magnetite‐series granitoids in the central basin, which contributed to high δ³⁴S values of the metallic deposits. Conversely, ilmenite‐series granitoids were formed by assimilation of sedimentary rocks rich in organic sulfur that influenced the low δ³⁴S values of the deposits in the western and southeastern provinces.