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Estimation of Calcium Sulfate Solution Rate and Effective Aquifer Surface Area in a Ground‐Water System Near Carlsbad, New Mexico
Author(s) -
Claassen Hans C.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1981.tb03473.x
Subject(s) - sulfate , dissolution , aquifer , calcium , groundwater , volumetric flow rate , surface water , environmental science , mineralogy , soil science , chemistry , geology , environmental engineering , geotechnical engineering , thermodynamics , physics , organic chemistry
The geochemistry of a very permeable ground‐water system containing calcium sulfate was studied to determine the present rate of dissolution. An estimate was made of the chemical composition of water recharging the system and the difference between that estimate and the composition of the ground water in the system was used to determine the minimum amount of calcium sulfate being dissolved under existing hydrologic conditions. This result was used, with published data on rates of calcium‐sulfate dissolution, to determine the effective surface area involved in solution processes. Results indicate that flow in this system is through large solution openings, which are growing larger at a rate of a few tens of millimeters per year.