Rhenium, molybdenum, and uranium in groundwater from the southern Great Basin, USA: Evidence for conservative behavior
- Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
Dissolved Re, Mo, and U concentrations, and the concentrations of the major cations and anions, were measured in groundwaters from twenty-three springs in the southern Great Basin, USA, from June 1992 through March 1994. Rhenium concentrations ranged from 5 {plus_minus} 1 pmol/kg to 190 {plus_minus} 20 pmol/kg. The highest Re values were observed in the saline groundwater of Saratoga Spring in Death Valley and Cold Spring in Ash Meadows, whereas the lowest Re concentrations were found in Nevares Spring in Death Valley. The mean Re concentration for all of the spring waters sampled is 44 {plus_minus} 33 pmol/kg. The concentrations of Re differs dramatically for groundwaters that discharge from the regional Paleozoic carbonate aquifer and for local groundwaters from felsic volcanic rocks. The mean Re concentration for groundwaters issuing from the carbonate aquifer is 37 {plus_minus} 14 pmol/kg (which is similar to the average Re value reported for seawater, i.e., 39.8 {plus_minus} 0.2 pmol/kg), whereas for the spring waters that discharge from the felsic volcanic aquifers, the mean Re concentration is 18 {plus_minus} 3.5 pmol/kg. Groundwaters discharging from the regional carbonate aquifer in Ash Meadows typically exhibit a U/Re ratio of about 300 while groundwaters that discharge in Death Valley from local felsic volcanic sources have ratios of about 1700. Waters in the remainder of the Death Valley springs are intermediated and may result from the mixing of the carbonate and volcanic derived waters. The substantially larger salinity normalized Re, Mo, and U concentrations in the groundwaters compared to seawater, rule out the possibility that these groundwaters represent simple mixing of dilute terrestrial waters and seawaters or reconstitution of evaporite deposits by groundwater dissolution. 65 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC08-90NV10872
- OSTI ID:
- 549038
- Journal Information:
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 60, Issue 17; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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