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Solubilities of gypsum and halite in the Dead Sea and in its mixtures with seawater 1
Author(s) -
Katz Amitai,
Starinsky Avraham,
TaitelGoldman Nurit,
Beyth Michael
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1981.26.4.0709
Subject(s) - halite , gypsum , seawater , dead sea , ionic strength , solubility , saturation (graph theory) , salinity , aqueous solution , mineralogy , evaporite , chemistry , water column , mediterranean sea , geology , structural basin , mediterranean climate , oceanography , mathematics , geomorphology , organic chemistry , paleontology , ecology , combinatorics , biology
The solubilities of gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O) and halite (NaCl) in aqueous solutions with ionic strengths between 3 and 13 were studied under ambient conditions. Mixtures of Mediterranean seawater and Dead Sea brines, evaporated to various degrees, served as experimental solutions. The practical solubility constant of gypsum [ K G sp = ( m Ca × m SO 4 ) eq] was found to be related to the ionic strength ( I ) of the solution by the empirical expressionThis relationship was then applied to calculate the degree of saturation with respect to gypsum (DSG) of the present Dead Sea water column. Calculations indicate that the entire Dead Sea water column (ionic strength = 9–10) is saturated or even slightly oversaturated with respect to both minerals studied.