Radon in Himalayan springs: a geohydrological control

 This paper presents the results of radon measurements in springs of the Himalayan region by using radon emanometry technique. The radon was measured in different springs, draining from different geohydrological setups, and from stream water in order to find the geohydrological control over radon concentration in groundwater emanating in the form of spring. The radon values were found to vary from 0.4 Bq/l to 887 Bq/l, being observed lowest for a turbulent stream and highest for the spring. The radon values were recorded highest in the springs draining through gneiss, granite, mylonite, etc. Radon concentrations have been related with four spring types viz. fracture-joint related spring, fault-lineament related spring, fluvial related spring and colluvial related spring, showing geohydrological characteristics of the rocks through which they are emanating. The high radon concentration in fracture-joint and fault-lineament spring is related to increased ratio of rock surface area to water volume and uranium mineralisation in the shear zones present in the close vicinity of fault and thrust. The low concentration of radon in fluvial and colluvial springs is possibly because of high transmissivity and turbulent flow within such deposits leading to natural de-emanation of gases. Received: 6 January 1998 · Accepted 11 May 1999     

Hydrogeochemistry in the Ngorongoro Crater,Tanzania, and implications for land use in a World Heritage Site

The chemistry of surface and ground waters in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, home to thousands of large mammals and a World Heritage Site, is controlled by the volcanic host rock lithology, evaporative concentration, mineral precipitation and redissoluton, and biological factors. Three groups of waters are informally differentiated based on their ranges of concentration: (1) dilute inflow (meteoric runoff and springs from short flowpaths: pH<8, Cl⁻<10 mg/l); (2) concentrated inflow (concentrated runoff and springs from long flowpaths: pH=8–9, Cl⁻=10–100 mg/l); and (3) brackish waters (pools and Lake Makat: pH>9, Cl⁻>100 mg/l). Evaporative concentration and biological activity in swamps commonly produce strong geochemical gradients between dilute sources and peripheral concentrated ephemeral wetlands. Dilute inflow is found in the Lerai, Munge, and Oljoro Nyuki streams, and several large springs near the Crater wall such as Ngoitokitok and Seneto. Concentrated inflow is found in downstream reaches of the Munge stream, discharging from springs away from the Crater wall such as Engitati and Mti Moja, and in dry-season pools. Brackish waters are found discharging from springs on the southern margin of Lake Makat, in mudflats surrounding marshes, in ephemeral pools, and in the lake itself. Although few hydrologic data are available, the persistence of relatively fresh water in vegetated wetlands is consistent with lower sedge-dominated wetland evapotranspiration rates compared with open water. This suggests that wetlands may play an important role in ensuring fresh water availability in the basin, and it demonstrates the need for future hydrologic study. Most of the Ngorongoro waters originate as rainfall outside the Crater, and travel into the basin as surface or ground water flow, emphasizing the need for a watershed-scale approach to land management.     

Stable isotope (2H, 18O and 87Sr/86Sr) and hydrochemistry monitoring for groundwater hydrodynamics analysis in a karst aquifer (Gran Sasso,Central Italy)

This paper deals with chemical and isotope analyses of 21 springs, which were monitored 3 times in the course of 2001; the monitoring program was focused on the groundwater of the Gran Sasso carbonate karst aquifer (Central Italy), typical of the mountainous Mediterranean area.Based on the hydrogeological setting of the study area, 6 groups of springs with different groundwater circulation patterns were distinguished. The hydrogeochemistry of their main components provided additional information about groundwater flowpaths, confirming the proposed classification. The spatial distribution of their ion concentrations validated the assumptions underlying the hydrogeological conceptual model, showing diverging groundwater flowpaths from the core to the boundaries of the aquifer. Geochemical modelling and saturation index computation elucidated water–carbonate rock interaction, contribution by alluvial aquifers at the karst aquifer boundaries, as well as impacts of human activities.The analysis of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O and ²H/H values and their spatial distribution in the aquifer substantiated the hydrogeology-based classification of 6 groups of springs, making it possible to trace back groundwater recharge areas based on mean isotope elevations; the latter were calculated by using two rain monitoring stations. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses showed seasonal changes in many springs: in winter–spring, the changes are due to inflow of new recharge water, infiltrating into younger rocks and thus increasing ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values; in summer–autumn, when there is no recharge and spring discharge declines, changes are due to base flow groundwater circulating in more ancient rocks, with a subsequent drop in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values.The results of this study stress the contribution that spatio-temporal isotope monitoring can give to the definition of groundwater flowpaths and hydrodynamics in fissured and karst aquifers, taking into account their hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical setting.     

Geochemical characterization of surface water and spring water in SE Kashmir Valley,western Himalaya: Implications to water–rock interaction

Water samples from precipitation, glacier melt, snow melt, glacial lake, streams and karst springs were collected across SE of Kashmir Valley, to understand the hydrogeochemical processes governing the evolution of the water in a natural and non-industrial area of western Himalayas. The time series data on solute chemistry suggest that the hydrochemical processes controlling the chemistry of spring waters is more complex than the surface water. This is attributed to more time available for infiltrating water to interact with the diverse host lithology. Total dissolved solids (TDS), in general, increases with decrease in altitude. However, high TDS of some streams at higher altitudes and low TDS of some springs at lower altitudes indicated contribution of high TDS waters from glacial lakes and low TDS waters from streams, respectively. The results show that some karst springs are recharged by surface water; Achabalnag by the Bringi stream and Andernag and Martandnag by the Liddar stream. Calcite dissolution, dedolomitization and silicate weathering were found to be the main processes controlling the chemistry of the spring waters and calcite dissolution as the dominant process in controlling the chemistry of the surface waters. The spring waters were undersaturated with respect to calcite and dolomite in most of the seasons except in November, which is attributed to the replenishment of the CO₂ by recharging waters during most of the seasons.     

Hydrologic and geochemical influences on the dissolved silica concentration in natural water in a steep headwater catchment

The dissolved silica concentrations in groundwater, springwater, and streamwater were measured on an unchanneled hillslope in the Tanakami Mountains of central Japan. The effects of preferential flowpaths, including lateral and vertical flow in the soil layer and flow through bedrock fractures, on the variation in the dissolved silica concentrations in runoff and groundwater were examined, as were the effects of the mixing of water from geochemically diverse water sources on the dissolved silica concentrations. The mean dissolved silica concentrations in water sampled from 40 cm below the soil surface and in transiently formed groundwater above the soil-bedrock interface during rainfall events were relatively constant, independent of the variation in the mixing ratio of pre-event water and incoming throughfall. These waters were mostly supplied by the vertical infiltration of water in soil. The mean dissolved silica concentrations were similar, regardless of sampling depth, although the mean residence time of the water increased with depth. These results indicated that the dissolved silica concentrations in soil water and transient groundwater were independent of contact time between the water and minerals. The mean dissolved silica concentration in perennially saturated groundwater above the soil-bedrock interface, which was recharged by water infiltrating through soil, and water emerging from bedrock in an area near the spring was more than twice that of transient groundwater, and the variation was relatively large. The mean dissolved silica concentration increased significantly downslope, from perennial groundwater to spring from soil matrix to stream, and the spring and stream concentrations also showed large variations. The dissolved silica concentration was highest in the spring from a bedrock fracture and was relatively constant. The mixing of water from two geochemically diverse water sources, soil and bedrock, controlled the dissolved silica concentrations of the perennial groundwater, the spring from soil matrix, and the stream. Our results demonstrated that in most areas of this headwater catchment, the preferential flowpaths have only a small effect on the dissolved silica concentrations. In a small area, which was < 2% of the total catchment area near the spring, the dissolved silica concentration was controlled by the mixing of water from geochemically diverse water sources.     

鄂尔多斯盆地马岭油田侏罗系延安组储层特征研究

侏罗系延安组是鄂尔多斯盆地马岭油田的主力油层之一。通过岩心观察、薄片鉴定、扫描电镜观察等,研究马岭油田侏罗系延安组储层特征及其控制因素。结果表明,马岭油田延安组储层纵向上自延10期至延4+5期,其沉积相由辨状河相演化为网状河三角洲相。受沉积相影响,延10至延4+5油层组碎屑岩石英含量逐渐减少、长石含量增加,碎屑岩粒度变细,储层厚度变薄。马岭油田各探区储层物性受物源影响,近物源区如北区、南区、镇原区的储层物性较好。上里塬区位于河流下游区,碎屑岩粒度细,储层物性较差。研究区储层的成岩作用程度较低,压实作用和胶结作用使储层物性变差,溶蚀作用则改善了储层物性。     

川东断褶带仙女山温泉地质成因浅析

川东断褶带背斜高陡,沿断褶带泉眼众多,流量丰沛。受构造裂隙和河流切割的双重作用,在河流切割低点多可见温泉出露。仙女山温泉位于川东断褶带铜锣峡构造最北端三叠系下统须家河组砂岩地层中的浅表裂隙当中,泉眼温度38~40℃,泉口有青绿色泉华沉淀。用地温梯度法估算出地下水循环深度略大于1000m。对比当地地层为嘉陵江组的深层地下水,结合区域地质构造,认为仙女山温泉地下水沿着高渗透率岩溶裂隙岩层上升成泉。     

微量元素在福建马坑铁矿崎濑泉形成条件识别中的应用

崎濑泉是福建马坑铁矿区附近流量最大的泉,与矿区的关系一直没有查清。本文通过对前人勘察资料研究和在不同部位采水样进行分析的基础上,运用聚类分析和指示岩溶水、碎屑岩地下水补给来源和径流过程的Sr /Ca与Rb /K值研究了福建马坑铁矿崎濑泉补给来源和径流途径。结果表明,取自崎濑泉泉口水样与及矿区水文钻孔的岩溶水水样相关系数达到0.98,而与取自矿区北部砂岩裂隙水的水样相关性则很差;灰岩水和砂岩水间的相关系数仅为0. 26;崎濑泉水的Sr / Ca、Rb /K值与岩溶水的都比较相近,而砂岩裂隙水的Rb /K值则明显地较崎濑泉水与岩溶水的高,说明崎濑泉水的来源应当是深部的岩溶水,与其上部的砂岩裂隙水并无密切关系;崎濑泉的形成是大气降水在矿区东北部天山凹附近的灰岩裸露区渗入岩溶含水层并向西径流,至矿区中西部沿F10断层附近的岩溶强径流带径流至崎濑村,受陈坑- 崎濑断层阻挡然后涌出地面,而并非前人所说的是先由大气降水补给砂岩裂隙含水层,然后再由砂岩裂隙含水层补给下部的岩溶含水层。      

Hydrogeological characterization of Gold Valley: an investigation of precipitation recharge in an intermountain basin in the Death Valley region, California, USA

Gold Valley is typical of intermountain basins in Death Valley National Park (DVNP), California (USA). Using water-balance calculations, a GIS-based analytical model has been developed to estimate precipitational infiltration rates from catchment-scale topographic data (elevation and slope). The calculations indicate that groundwater recharge mainly takes place at high elevations (>1,100?m) during winter (average 1.78?mm/yr). A resistivity survey suggests that groundwater accumulates in upstream compartmentalized reservoirs and that the groundwater flows through basin fill and fractured bedrock. This explains the relationship between the upstream precipitational infiltration in Gold Valley and the downstream spring flow in Willow Creek. To verify the ability of local recharge to support high-flux springs in DVNP, a GIS-based model was also applied to the Furnace Creek catchment. The results produced insufficient total volume of precipitational infiltration to support flow from the main high-flux springs in DVNP under current climatic conditions. This study introduces a GIS-based infiltration model that can be integrated into the Death Valley regional groundwater flow model to estimate precipitational infiltration recharge. In addition, the GIS-based model can efficiently estimate local precipitational infiltration in similar intermountain basins in arid regions provided that the validity of the model is verified.     

龙子祠泉域不同下垫面陆面蒸散量的对比研究

龙子祠泉域是北方著名的岩溶大泉,目前泉流量衰减严重,评估泉域内涵养水源林工程对岩溶水增补效果成为一项重要研究课题。本文利用NOAA/AVHRR遥感数据,运用地表能量平衡系统（SEBS）模型并结合临汾气象站的实际观测数据(气温、气压、相对湿度和风速),反演了龙子祠泉域2014年4-10月的日均蒸散量和月均蒸散量,通过GIS的空间叠加对比分析了不同岩性和不同植被覆盖率条件下的陆面蒸散量特征。结果表明:碳酸盐岩地区陆面蒸散量与植被覆盖率之间呈正相关关系,而碎屑岩地区中等植被覆盖率的陆面蒸散量最低,在整体上碎屑岩地区的陆面蒸散量要高于碳酸盐岩地区。仅从陆面蒸散量的角度考虑,在碎屑岩地区保持中等的植被覆盖率将有利于增加岩溶水的入渗补给量,而在碳酸盐岩地区开展植树造林将提高陆面蒸散量,不利于降水入渗补给。      

山东莱芜盆地东部水文地质条件及富水块段特征

基于在莱芜盆地开展的1∶5万水文地质调查工作,详细论述了盆地东部地区水文地质条件,将区内地下水类型划分为松散岩类孔隙水、碳酸盐岩类裂隙岩溶水、碎屑岩类孔隙裂隙水与岩浆岩变质岩类裂隙水四类,并总结了其含水岩组富水性;分析了区内地下水补给、径流、排泄特征与地下水动态变化特征;通过收集分析区内钻孔资料,总结了岩溶区岩溶发育特征,发现区内岩溶发育主要集中在200 m以浅,以溶蚀裂隙、蜂窝状溶孔为主;对清泥沟断裂、兴隆山-高峪铺断裂、铜冶店-孙祖断裂等主要控水断裂进行分析,提出东泉、清泥沟、丈八丘三个岩溶水富水块段,分析了各块段的富水机理,并提出各富水块段允许开采地下水量,为地下水合理开发利用提供一定参考资料。      

川西南喜德热田地下水水文地球化学特征

地下热水的形成和化学组分特征常受断裂构造和热储地层岩性的影响。川西南喜德地热田内出露的冷泉水和地热水严格受断裂控制,前者为主断裂控制的浅循环型碎屑岩或岩溶裂隙孔隙水;后者则为次级断裂所控制的深循环型裂隙水,其热储层为碳酸盐岩。基于喜德热田形成的地质构造背景,通过开展热田内地热水和冷泉水水化学指标的测试和分析及水岩相互作用模拟,对该热田水文地球化学特征进行了研究。结果表明：喜德热田地热水和冷泉水水源均为大气降水,补给高程分别为2 874~3 092 m和2 584~2 818 m。受温度、含水层矿物类型、水岩相互作用的影响,地热水和冷泉水水化学类型和各组分差别较大,前者为HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg型水,后者为HCO3-Ca·Mg型水。水岩相互作用模拟表明碳酸盐岩矿物、石膏矿物的溶解和沉淀及阳离子交换过程是导致地热水和冷泉水水化学组分差别较大的主要原因。此外,采用二氧化硅类温标计算喜德热田热储温度为56~90 ℃,循环深度为1 422~2 558 m。研究结果对阐明喜德热田的成因模式,地热水的进一步开发和热水资源的可持续利用具有重要意义。     

Linking lithology and land use to sources of dissolved and particulate organic matter in headwaters of a temperate, passive-margin river system

A number of rivers have been found to transport highly aged organic matter [OM]; however, the sources of this aged material remain a matter of debate. One potential source may be erosion and weathering of headwater lithologies rich in ancient sedimentary OM. In this study, waters, suspended particulates, streambed sediments, rocks and soils from fourteen small headwater watersheds of a mid-size, temperate, passive margin river were sampled and characterized by Δ¹⁴C, δ¹³C, and POC/TPN ratios to identify sources of particulate and dissolved OM delivered to the river mainstem. These headwater sites encompass a range in lithology (OM-rich shales, OM-lean carbonate/mudstone facies, and OM-free crystalline rocks) and land use types (forested and agricultural), and allow investigation of the influence of agriculture and bedrock types on stream OM characteristics. Streams draining large areas of both agricultural land use and OM-rich lithology contain particulate OM [POM] that is more ¹⁴C-depleted than streams draining forested, shale-free watersheds. However, this is not sufficient to account for the significantly lower Δ¹⁴C-POC measured in the river mainstem. Dissolved OM [DOM] Δ¹⁴C are in all cases enriched compared to POM from the same stream, but are otherwise highly variable and unrelated to either land use or lithology. POC/TPN ratios were likewise highly variable. POC and DOC δ¹³C signatures were similar across all watersheds. Based on isotope mass balance, ¹⁴C-free fossil OM sources contribute 0-12% of total stream POM. Although these results do not unequivocally separate the influences of land use and lithology, watershed coverage by shale and agriculture are both important controls on stream Δ¹⁴C-POC. Thus export of aged, particle-associated OM may be a feature of river systems along both passive and active continental margins.     

The impact of artificially impounded, residential headwater lakes on downstream water temperature

In the southeastern United States, which has very few natural lakes, developers often impound headwater streams to create esthetic lakes as focal points in the residential landscape. Given the prevalence and increasing abundance of these water features, it is important to assess and quantify the spatial and temporal impacts these lakes have on headwater stream temperatures. Any changes in the downstream thermal regime may influence not only the biological functioning of a stream, but also important physical and chemical water quality characteristics. The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude and extent of the downstream temperature disturbance associated with three different, artificially impounded, residential headwater lakes in Greenville, South Carolina. Water temperature loggers were installed upstream, in-lake, and downstream of three surface-release residential lakes and monitored at 5-min intervals from July 2007 to April 2008. In July/August 2007, longitudinal stream temperature profiles were measured at 50-m intervals both upstream and downstream of each lake in order to assess the spatial extent of the lake’s temperature disturbance. The lakes altered the downstream thermal regime at all three sites, increasing temperature by as much as 8.4 °C and decreasing diurnal variability by as much as 3.9 °C within the period of record. Furthermore, the longitudinal profiles of all three stream-lake systems showed no significant signs of downstream recovery to the upstream temperatures. The ecological effects of such temperature disturbances on stream biotic communities were not quantified in this study, but are likely significant. This study considered lakes only in South Carolina, but the observed changes to the downstream thermal regime are presumably similar for impounded residential headwater lakes across the US Southeast given the similar climate regime and comparable design and construction of these lakes across the region.     

Fault-related carbonate breccia dykes in the La Chilca area,Eastern Precordillera,San Juan,Argentina

Carbonate fault breccia dykes in the Cerro La Chilca area, Eastern Precordillera, west-central Argentina, provide clues on the probable mechanism of both fault movement and dyke injection.Breccia dykes intrude Upper Carboniferous sedimentary rocks and Triassic La Flecha Trachyte Formation. The timing of breccia dyke emplacement is constrained by cross cutting relationships with the uppermost Triassic unit and conformable contacts with the Early Miocene sedimentary rocks. This study supports a tectonic-hydrothermal origin for these breccia dykes; fragmentation and subsequent hydraulic injection of fluidized breccia are the more important processes in the breccia dyke development.Brecciation can be triggered by seismic activity which acts as a catalyst. The escape of fluidized material can be attributed to hydrostatic pressure and the direction of movement of the material establishes the direction of least pressure.Previous studies have shown that cross-strike structures have had an important role in the evolution of this Andean segment since at least Triassic times. These structures represent pre-existing crustal fabrics that could have controlled the emplacement of the dykes. The dykes, which are composed mostly of carbonate fault breccia, were injected upward along WNW fractures.     

Influence of diurnal cycles on metal concentrations and loads in streams draining abandoned mine lands: an example from High Ore Creek,Montana

Diurnal water samples were collected simultaneously at four locations along High Ore Creek (Montana, USA), a small stream with near-neutral pH that contains elevated concentrations of Zn, Mn, Cd, and As from abandoned mines near its headwaters. During the same time period, two sets of synoptic samples were collected by workers moving in opposite directions along the stream. Large diurnal fluctuations in Zn concentration were found at three of the 24-h monitoring stations, but not at the outlet to a settling pond. Because the concentrations of Zn were dropping at most locations in the creek during the day (in response to the daily cycle of day-time attenuation and night-time release), the synoptic sampler who moved upstream obtained a data set that led to the conclusion that Zn load increased with distance downstream. The sampler who moved in a downstream direction obtained the opposite results. Thus, failure to take short-term diurnal cycling into account can lead to incorrect conclusions regarding spatial or temporal trends in water quality within a watershed.     

Use of tidal freshwater marshes by fishes and macrofaunal crustaceans along a marsh stream-order gradient

Fishes and invertebrate macrofauna (nekton) were sampled biweekly (July through October 1985) from the surface of tidal freshwater marshes. Samples were collected with flume nets at three different stream orders (orders 2, 3 and 4+) along a marsh stream order gradient. Twenty-five species of fishes (5,610 individuals, 17.072 kg preserved wet weight) representing 13 families, and three species of invertebrates (19,570 individuals, 13.026 kg preserved wet weight) were collected. The most abundant species were grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio), mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus), banded killifish (F. diaphanus), inland silversides (Menidia beryllina), and blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Invertebrate catches (mostly grass shrimp and blue crabs) were not significantly different among stations. Total numbers of fishes were significantly greater at both headwater (order 2) and main creek (order 3) stations than river (order 4+) stations, but catches of headwater and main creek stations were not significantly different. The relationship between marsh stream order and fish abundance may partly be related to the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within marsh tidal creeks. Submerged aquatic vegetation decreases in abundance with increasing stream order. Some species may use SAV as a refuge from predators or as a foraging area during low tide when the marsh surface is inaccessible. The presence of SAV in tidal creeks may enhance the habitat value of adjacent marshes.     

Mercury deposits of western California: an overview

Summary Mercury deposits in western California are near a thrust fault that separates two groups of Mesozoic rocks. The Franciscan Assemblage, a metamorphosed melange with serpentine and graywacke, is structurally overlain by the Great Valley Sequence, a sedimentary series resting on oceanic crust. These Mesozoic rocks are partly covered by volcanic and sedimentary rocks of Cenozoic age. Cinnabar with silica minerals, dolomite, native mercury, and bituminous matter occurs around the fractured margins of serpentine bodies and around hot springs that emanate from the Franciscan Assemblage. Fluid inclusions and hot springs suggest that cinnabar precipitated from CO₂-H₂O fluids with <2 wt% chlorine at T<250 °C. Prograde metamorphism of Mesozoic sediments expulsed mercury-bearing fluids that migrated up serpentine-related fractures and exhaled onto the surface.     

Rheologic evolution of low-grade metasedimentary rocks and granite across a large strike-slip fault zone: A case study of the Kellyland fault zone,Maine, USA

We examine a large strike-slip fault zone that juxtaposes low-grade clastic metasedimentary rocks with coarse-grained granite near the brittle-ductile transition. The load-bearing matrixes in granite-derived ultramylonites and pelite and wacke metasedimentary intervals are texturally similar, and all deformed by diffusion-assisted granular flow. Granite underwent rapid strengthening as the pluton cooled followed by rapid weakening driven by brittle grain-size reduction and mixing that catalyzed ultramylonite formation. The textural and mineralogical similarity of pelitic intervals across the zone indicates they experienced little textural and reaction weakening. Wacke intervals record progressive textural and reaction weakening in an open system. Quartz recrystallized grain sizes in granite-derived ultramylonites record ∼2-times more differential stress than those in metasedimentary rocks in the interior of the zone. The relative weakness of metasedimentary rocks is correlated with fluid influx that likely enhanced diffusion and grain-boundary sliding in pelitic and wacke intervals and catalyzed textural and reaction weakening in wacke intervals. The lack of evidence for fluid and ionic communication with granitic rocks indicates that fluid movement was restricted to foliation-parallel pathways within single rock units. This localized fluid influx is the best explanation for the strength contrasts between texturally similar fault rocks deformed by similar mechanisms.     

Long-term spatio-temporal hydrochemical and 222Rn tracing to investigate groundwater flow and water–rock interaction in the Gran Sasso (central Italy) carbonate aquifer

In the Gran Sasso fissured carbonate aquifer (central Italy), a long-term (2001–2007) spatio-temporal hydrochemical and ²²²Rn tracing survey was performed with the goal to investigate groundwater flow and water–rock interaction. Analyses of the physico-chemical parameters, and comparisons of multichemical and characteristic ratios in space and time, and subsequent statistical analyses, permitted a characterisation of the hydrogeology. At the regional scale, groundwater flows from recharge areas to the springs located at the aquifer boundaries, with a gradual increase of mineralisation and temperature along its flowpaths. However, the parameters of each group of springs may significantly deviate from the regional trend owing to fast flows and to the geological setting of the discharge spring areas, as corroborated by statistical data. Along regional flowpaths, the effects of seasonal recharge and lowering of the water table clearly cause changes in ion concentrations over time. This conceptual model was validated by an analysis of the ²²²Rn content in groundwater. ²²²Rn content, for which temporal variability depends on seasonal fluctuations of the water table, local lithology and the fracture network at the spring discharge areas, was considered as a tracer of the final stages of groundwater flowpaths.