The role of seawater freezing in the formation of subsurface brines

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(90)90190-V· OSTI ID:6702251

Herut, B; Starinsky, A; Katz, A ^[1]; Bein, A ^[2]

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1. The Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem (Israel)
2. Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem (Israel)

Several mechanisms (evaporation, water-rock interaction, ultra-filtration) have been suggested to explain the evolution of ubiquitous Ca-chloride subsurface brines. In the present paper, the freezing of seawater in polar regions, and in even wider areas during glacial periods, is proposed as an additional possible path of brine formation. Although several of the processes which lead to the formation of Ca-chloride brines are common for both the evaporative and the freezing models, the Na-Br-Cl relationship in a given brine can be used to discriminate between the two modes of brine evolution. Several subsurface brines from the Canadian Shield and one brine from Finland are used as examples of the seawater freezing model, and an explanation is proposed for the necessary mass production of brines in glacial environments.

• OSTI ID: 6702251
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA), Vol. 54:1; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
BRINES
ORIGIN
GROUND WATER
CALCIUM CHLORIDES
GEOCHEMISTRY
AQUIFERS
EVAPORATION
FREEZING
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
SALINITY
SEAWATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HALIDES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
WATER
580000* - Geosciences