Distinguishing groundwater flow paths in different fractured-rock aquifers using groundwater chemistry: Dandenong Ranges, southeast Australia

Major ion geochemistry is used to qualitatively interpret groundwater residence times within an aquifer, and the extent of mixing between aquifers with distinctive mineralogy. In conjunction with hydraulic heads and stable isotope geochemistry, flow paths and inter-aquifer exchange are defined in a fractured-rock aquifer system in the Dandenong Ranges, southeast Australia. Stable isotopes indicate modern seasonal recharge throughout the system. At high elevations in the sub-catchment, which includes both marine Silurian-Devonian sedimentary and Tertiary basalt aquifers, Cl is derived primarily from cyclic salts, and differences in mineralogy result in groundwater from the basalt aquifer having higher TDS contents (123–262 mg/L) and (Ca+Mg)/Na ratios (0.9–1.3) than groundwater from the sedimentary aquifer (TDS: 55–79 mg/L; (Ca+Mg)/Na: 0.1–0.2). At low elevations, in areas of local groundwater discharge, the more regional flow system in the Silurian-Devonian sediments contains additional Cl from water–rock interaction and has distinctly higher TDS contents (517–537 mg/L). Differences in groundwater chemistry between the aquifers and between shallower and deeper flow systems highlights areas of inter-aquifer mixing. This is particularly important for aquifer vulnerability where groundwater quality in the deeper aquifer may be impacted by surface activities.

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Resumen Se ha utilizado geoquímica de iones mayores para interpretar cualitativamente los tiempos de residencia del agua subterránea dentro de un acuífero, y el grado de mezcla entre acuíferos con mineralogía característica. De manera conjunta con presiones hidráulicas y geoquímica de isótopos estables, se han definido trayectorias de flujo e intercambio entre acuíferos en un sistema de acuífero de roca fracturada en las Sierras Dandenong, sureste de Australia. Los isótopos estables indican recarga estacional moderada a través del sistema. A elevaciones altas en la sub-cuenca que incluye acuíferos sedimentarios Silúrico-Devónicos y acuíferos basálticos Terciarios, Cl se deriva principalmente de sales cíclicas. Las diferencias en mineralogía resultan en agua subterránea del acuífero basáltico que tiene mayores contenidos TDS (123–262 mg/L) y mayor relación (Ca+Mg)/Na (0.9–1.3) que el agua subterránea de los acuíferos sedimentarios (TDS:55–79 mg/L; (Ca+Mg)/Na: 0.1–0.2). A elevaciones bajas, en áreas de recarga local de agua subterránea, el sistema de flujo más regional en los sedimentos Silúrico-Devónicos contiene Cl adicional que se deriva de la interacción roca-agua y típico contenido TDS más alto (517–537 mg L). Las diferencias en la química del agua subterránea entre los acuíferos y entre los sistemas de flujo más profundo y más somero resalta áreas de mezcla entre acuíferos. Esto es particularmente importante para la vulnerabilidad del acuífero donde la calidad del agua subterránea en el acuífero más profundo puede ser impactada por las actividades superficiales.

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Résumé Les ions majeurs sont utilisés pour interpréter quantitativement les temps de résidence des eaux souterraines dans les aquifères, et létendue des zones de mélange entre les aquifères de différentes minéralogies. En regard de la répartition des charges hydrauliques et des informations données par les isotopes stables, les écoulements et les échanges inter-aquifères sont définis dans un aquifère fracturé dans le Dandenong Ranges, SE de lAustralie. Les isotopes stables indiquent des recharges modernes et saisonnières à travers le système aquifère. A haute altitude dans le sous-bassin versant, qui inclut des sédiments du Siluro-Dévonien et des basaltes du Tertiaire, le chlore est dabord dérivé des sels cycliques, et des différences minéralogiques dans les eaux souterraines sont observées selon laquifère : basalte tertiaire (TDS: 123–262 mg/L; Ca+Mg/Ca: 0.9 à 1.3) et sédiments primaires (TDS: 55–79 mg/L; Ca+Mg/Ca: 0.1–0.2). Aux basses altitudes, dans les zones locales de décharge des eaux souterraines, les écoulements les plus régionaux possèdent des teneurs plus élevées en Chlore en provenance des interactions eau—roche, et des TDS plus élevées (515–537 mg/L). Des différences dans la chimie des eaux souterraines entre les aquifères et entre les systèmes découlement de surface et les écoulements profonds mettent en lumière les zones de mélange inter-aquifère. Ceci est particulièrement important pour la définition de la vulnérabilité où la qualité des eaux souterraines en profondeur peuvent subir les impacts des activités de surface.

     

Evidence for an enriched mantle source for jøtunite (orthopyroxene monzodiorite) associated with the St. Urbain anorthosite, Quebec

Mafic orthopyroxene monzodiorite (jøtunite) lithologies are exposed in the St. Urbain plutonic suite as a marginal facies to quartz mangerite and massif anorthosite intrusive bodies and as dikes within a variety of host rocks. High concentrations of Ti, Fe, P, K, Ba, Nb, La, Ce, Zn, Ga, Zr and Y characterize these rocks and are distinctive of many mafic lithologies associated with anorthosite massifs worldwide. Characteristically low concentrations of Ni and Cr, in conjuction with low Mg numbers, have been used by previous investigators as evidence for either partial melting of mafic granulitic lower crust or extensive fractional crystallization of a mantle-derived magma. In an attempt to distinguish between these competing models, we note that jøtunite display many features that bear a strong resemblance to continental tholeiitic flood basalts, including chemical signatures on normalized multi-element (‘spider’) diagrams. Ratios of incompatible trace elements and patterns on rare earth and ‘spider’ diagrams collectively indicate that the jøtunite rocks were derived from an enriched, rather than depleted, mantle source. Enrichment may have occured by subduction-derived fluids or by mixture with a plume component prior to partial melting so that isotopic and trace-element compositions are decoupled. Small amounts of partial melting of mafic granulite has been advanced as an alternative model; we show, however, that the experimental data on which this model is built are not applicable. Our preferred model begins with partial melting of a trace-element enriched mantle source that fractionates olivine at high to moderate pressures. Increasing concentrations of P (and Ti) eventually caused a contraction of the olivine stability field in favor of orthopyroxene. Fractional crystallization may yield the series of rocks from anorthosite, leuconorite, oxide-apatite gabbronorite, to jøtunite. Mafic magmas emplaced into continental crust are typically attributed to incipient rifting or mantle upwelling, which are features common to many models for the genesis of anorthosite and related rocks.     

Mid-Cretaceous granitic magmatism during the transition from subduction to extension in southern New Zealand: a chemical and tectonic synthesis

Regional geochronological studies indicate that mid-Cretaceous plutonism (the Hohonu Suite at 110 Ma) in the Hohonu Batholith, Western Province of New Zealand, occurred during a period of rapid tectonic change in the SW Pacific portion of Gondwana. The 30–40 m.y. preceding Hohonu Suite magmatism were dominated by the subduction-related plutonism of the Median Tectonic Zone volcanic arc. Between 125–118 Ma there was a major collisional event, inferred to be the result of collision between the Median Tectonic Zone and the Western Province. This collision resulted in melting of the Median Tectonic Zone arc underplate and generation of a distinctive suite of alkali-calcic granitoids, termed the Separation Point Suite. At 110 Ma there was another pulse of magmatism, restricted to the Buller terrane of the Western Province, and including the Hohonu Suite granitoids. This was followed almost immediately by extension, culminating in the opening of the Tasman Sea some 30 m.y. later. The Hohonu Suite granitoids overlap temporally with the last vestiges of collisional Separation Point magmas and the onset of crustal extension in the Western Province, and thus represent magmatism in a post-collisional setting. Hohonu Suite magmas are typically calc-alkaline, but retain a chemical signature which suggests that the earlier Separation Point Suite magmas and/or sources were involved in Hohonu Suite petrogenesis. A model is proposed in which rapid isothermal uplift, resulting from the post-collisional collapse of continental crust previously thickened during the Median Tectonic Zone collision, caused melting of lower continental crust to generate the Hohonu Suite granitoids. In this example, granitoid composition is a consequence of the composition of the source rocks and the conditions present during melting, and no geochemical signature indicative of the tectonic setting during magmatism is present.     

Validation of basaltic glass adsorption capabilities from geothermal arsenic in a basaltic aquifer: A case study from Bjarnarflag power Station,Iceland

Arsenic is a carcinogen known for its acute toxicity to organisms.Geothermal waters are commonly high in arsenic,as shown at the Bjarnarflag Power Plant,Iceland(～224 μg/kg of solvent).Development of geothermal energy requires adequate disposal of arsenic-rich waters into groundwater/geothermal systems.The outcome of arsenic transport models that assess the effect of geothermal effluent on the environment and ecosystems may be influenced by the sensitivity of hydraulic parameters.However,previous such studies in Iceland do not consider the sensitivity of hydraulic parameters and thereby the interpretations remain unreliable.Here we used the Lake Myvatn basaltic aquifer system as a case study to identify the sensitive hydraulic parameters and assess their role in arsenic transport.We develop a one-dimensional reactive transport model(PHREEQC ver.2.),using geochemical data from Bjarnarflag,Iceland.In our model,arsenite(H_3 ASO_3)was predicted to be the dominant species of inorganic arsenic in both groundwater and geothermal water.Dilution reduced arsenic concentration below～5 μg/kg.Adsorption reduced the residual contamination below～0.4μg/kg at 250 m along transect.Based on our modelling,we found volumetric input to be the most sensitive parameter in the model.In addition,the adsorption strength of basaltic glass was such that the physical hydrogeological parameters,namely:groundwater velocity and longitudinal dispersivity had little influence on the concentration profile.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Fiskenaesset anorthosite complex,southern West Greenland: Nature of the parent magma

The petrogenesis of the Fiskenaesset anorthosite body has been investigated using major and trace element data for a large range of rock types from each zone of the complex. The chemistry of these ultramafic to anorthositic cumulates is interpreted in terms of crystal fractionation of a parental, trace element impoverished, tholeiitic magma, involving crystallisation of the cumulus phases olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and (dominant) plagioclase feldspar. Amphibole appears not to have been a significant cumulus phase at any stage of crystallisation of the body, the abundant amphibole found in the rocks of the complex being produced by primary intercumulus crystallisation, supplemented by secondary metamorphic recrystallisation. Similarly, magnetite is unlikely to have been a significant early cumulus phase, although, together with chromite, it crystallised as a cumulus phase at high stratigraphic levels in the complex. The metamorphism appears to be largely isochemical, although sub-solidus metamorphic re-equilibration of the REE can be demonstrated on a grain-size scale.The spatial and temporal association between the anorthosite complex and the bordering metavolcanic amphibolites is matched by a strong similarity between the observed trace element chemistry of the amphibolites and the trace element chemistry of calculated successive liquids for the complex. This is taken to suggest a genetic relationship between the evolution of the anorthosite complex and enclosing amphibolites. The presence of trace element impoverished amphibolites (which are not cumulates) with trace element abundances comparable to those of the suggested parental liquid to the anorthosite complex, is used to derive a major element composition for the primary Fiskenasset magma. This composition approximates a moderately aluminous tholeiitic basalt, which may have been generated by hydrous fusion of previously depleted mantle. This primary magma underwent crystal fractionation under low pressure conditions, allowing the development of extensive plagioclase cumulates.The Fiskenaesset anorthosite, and similar bodies, cannot represent a cumulate residue complementary to the enclosing voluminous tonalitic gneisses, which have a calc-alkaline chemistry controlled by high pressure crystal liquid fractionation. Rather, the association between the cumulate layered complex and bordering supracrustal sequence may imply an ancient ocean crust analogue for the development of this component of Archaean high-grade terrains. It is suggested that slices of such Archaean ocean floor may be emplaced laterally into the base of the continental crust during subduction of oceanic lithosphere at Cordilleran type continental margins.     

The movement of oil under non-breaking waves

The combined effects of wave kinematics, turbulent diffusion, and buoyancy on the transport of oil droplets at sea were investigated in this work using random walk techniques in a Monte Carlo framework. Six hundred oil particles were placed at the water surface and tracked for 500 wave periods. A dimensionless formulation was presented that allowed reporting distances in terms of the wave length and times in terms of the wave period. Stokes' drift was, expectedly, the major mechanism for horizontal transport. It was also found that plumes that have large terminal rise velocities move faster forward but spread less than those that have small terminal rise velocities. The increase in wave slope (or wave steepness) caused an increase in transport and spreading of the plume. Our results supported treating the oil as completely mixed vertically in a layer near the surface. In the horizontal direction, buoyant plumes had spreading coefficients that are essentially constant after about 200 wave periods. But neutrally buoyant plumes had horizontal spreading coefficients that increased with time (for the simulation time of 500 wave periods). Techniques for generalizing the results for a wide range of wave parameters were presented.     

Glacial termination: sensitivity to orbital and CO2 forcing in a coupled climate system model

 To study glacial termination and related feedback mechanisms, a continental ice dynamics model is globally and asynchronously coupled to a physical climate (atmosphere-ocean-sea ice) model. The model performs well under present-day, 11 kaBP (thousand years before present) and 21 kaBP perpetual forcing. To address the ice-sheet response under the effects of both perpetual orbital and CO₂ forcing, sensitivity experiments are conducted with two different orbital configurations (11 kaBP and 21 kaBP) and two different atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (200 ppmv and 280 ppmv). This study reveals that, although both orbital and CO₂ forcing have an impact on ice-sheet maintenance and deglacial processes, and although neither acting alone is sufficient to lead to complete deglaciation, orbital forcing seems to be more important. The CO₂ forcing has a large impact on climate, not uniformly or zonally over the globe, but concentrated over the continents adjacent to the North Atlantic. The effect of increased CO₂ (from 200 ppmv to 280 ppmv) on surface air temperature has its peak there in winter associated with a reduction in sea-ice extent in the northern North Atlantic. These changes are accompanied by an enhancement in the intensity of the meridional overturning and poleward ocean heat transport in the North Atlantic. On the other hand, the effect of orbital forcing (from 21 kaBP to 11 kaBP) has its peak in summer. Since the summer temperature, rather than winter temperature, is found to be dominant for the ice-sheet mass balance, orbital forcing has a larger effect than CO₂ forcing in deglaciation. Warm winter sea surface temperature arising from increased CO₂ during the deglaciation contributes to ice-sheet nourishment (negative feedback for ice-sheet retreat) through slightly enhanced precipitation. However, the precipitation effect is totally overwhelmed by the temperature effect. Our results suggest that the last deglaciation was initiated through increasing summer insolation with CO₂ providing a powerful feedback. Received: 22 February 2000 / Accepted: 17 September 2000