Effect of dissolution of volcanic glass on the water chemistry in a tuffaceous aquifer, Rainier Mesa, Nevada
Geochemistry of ground water associated with the Tertiary tuffs with in Rainier Mesa, southern Nevada, was investigated to determine the relative importance of glass dissolution in controlling water chemistry. Water samples were obtained both from interstitial pores in core sections and from free-flowing fractures. Cation compositions showed that calcium and magnesium decreased as a function of depth in the mesa, as sodium increased. The maximum effect occurs within alteration zones containing clinoptilolite and montmorillonite, suggesting these minerals effectively remove bivalent cations from the system. Comparisons are made between compositions of ground waters found within Rainier Mesa that apparently have not reacted with secondary minerals and compositions of waters produced by experimental dissolution of vitric and crystalline tuffs which comprise the principal aquifers in the area. Comparison of mass-transfer rates of the vitric and crystalline tuffs indicates that the apparent higher glass-surface to aqueous-volume ratio associated with the vitric rocks may account for dominance of the glass reaction.
- OSTI ID:
- 7054949
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Reaction-path calculations of groundwater chemistry and mineral formation at Rainier Mesa, Nevada
A reconnaissance investigation of hydrogeochemistry and hydrology of Rainier Mesa