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Geochemistry of Salt Water Beneath the Rolling Plains, North‐Central Texas a
Author(s) -
Richter Bernd C.,
Kreitler Charles W.
Publication year - 1986
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.1745-6584.1986.tb01689.x
Subject(s) - halite , geology , brine , meteoric water , evaporite , geochemistry , aquifer , dissolution , structural basin , groundwater , salt dome , mineralogy , geomorphology , sedimentary rock , chemistry , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Sodium‐chloride brine underlies the shallow subsurface and discharges at numerous surface locations in the Rolling Plains of north‐central Texas. According to the ratios of Na/Cl and Br/Cl, and supported by the contribution of other chemical constituents, two major brine types can be distinguished: (1) brine derived from dissolution of halite by fresh ground water, and (2) brine derived from discharge of deep‐basin brine aquifers. All salt‐spring brines as well as shallow subsurface brines in the northern and western parts of the Rolling Plains represent halite‐dissolution brine, whereas deep‐basin brine is represented by samples in the shallow subsurface in the south. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of the halite‐dissolution brines indicates a local, meteoric origin for these brines. Shallow subsurface samples from the southeastern Rolling Plains graphically include deep‐basin brine values and meteoric‐water values as end points, suggesting mixing of deep‐basin brine with local meteoric ground water.