Stable-isotope geochemistry of groundwaters in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico
/sup 18/O//sup 16/O and D/H ratio measurements have been made on groundwaters sampled from the Rustler Formation (Ochoan, Permian) and related rocks in the northern Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico. Most confined Rustler waters at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site and to the west in Nash Draw and confined waters from the Capitan limestone constitute one population in deltaD/delta/sup 18/O space, while unconfined groundwaters inferred to originate as modern surface recharge to alluvium, sandstones in the Ogallala Formation, the near-surface Rustler in southwestern Nash Draw, and the Capitan vadose zone in the Guadalupe Mountains (Carlsbad Caverns) constitute a distinctly different population; the two do not overlap. A likely explanation for this distinction is that meteoric recharge to most of the Rustler and Capitan took place in the geologic past under climatic conditions significantly different from the present. Available tritium and radiocarbon data are consistent with this hypothesis, and the apparent age of confined groundwaters is in excess of 12,000 radiocarbon years, suggesting that recharge took place under wetter conditions in the late Pleistocene. Processes governing recharge in the Delaware Basin are significantly different from those in the nearby Roswell Artesian Basin, but may be similar to those previously described for the Albuquerque (New Mexico) and Murray (South Australia) Basins. 133 refs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6528376
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-87-0138; ON: DE89008316
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Fossil meteoric groundwaters in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico
Stable-isotope studies of groundwaters in southeastern New Mexico
Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
GROUND WATER
EVALUATION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WIPP
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
GEOCHEMISTRY
NEW MEXICO
OXYGEN 18
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRACER TECHNIQUES
CHEMISTRY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION VI
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
STABLE ISOTOPES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects