Microanalysis of primary fluid inclusions in halite: constraints for an evaporitic sedimentation modeling. Application to the Mulhouse Basin (France)

The chemistry of the waters from which the evaporitic minerals crystallized in the lower part of the Salt IV unit of the Mulhouse Basin (France) has been investigated. The lithological and fluid inclusion data have been compared to the output data of the mass transfer program NEWEQUI which simulates the change in brine composition during its evaporation advancement. The results show that the evolution of the composition of the brine is compatible with the calculated sequence of evaporation of a parent water corresponding to a seawater modified by CaCl₂-rich hydrothermal water. In the studied sequence fluid inclusion data provide useful constraints for reconstructing the paleoenvironment controlling the evaporitic sedimentation. They also provide data on the water stratification in the basin and on its connectivity with the open sea, and important parameters controlling the productivity (possible sources for the nutrients) and the preservation of organic matter in the sediment.