Journal
HYDROGEOLOGY JOURNAL
Volume 18, Issue 4, Pages 1007-1026Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10040-009-0571-7
Keywords
Arid regions; Carbonate rocks; Hydrochemistry; Regional aquifer; USA
Categories
Funding
- Southern Nevada Water Authority
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The regional carbonate aquifer in the carbonate-rock province of the Great Basin, USA, covers thousands of square kilometers. It is a significant potential source of water for growth in this arid area. Few wells penetrate the carbonate aquifer, so information on water quantity and quality is derived in large part from 'regional springs' that discharge from regional interbasin flow systems. For this study, springs in the carbonate-rock province were sampled; their physical, chemical, and isotopic characteristics were compared to those of known regional springs to identify previously unrecognized regional waters using both examination of the data and multivariate statistical analysis. Criteria for comparison included temperature, discharge, (3)H activity, carbon isotope values, and ratios of major and trace ions. Of the 18 springs selected for detailed chemical and isotopic sampling, five springs-Hot, Littlefield, Petrified, Saratoga, and Warm (a)-were identified as regional, and one (Monte Neva Hot) was identified as a possible regional spring. Regional springs provide an easy, low-cost means of investigating aquifer properties; identification of regional springs thus increases the ability to understand the regional carbonate aquifer. The techniques applied in this study can also be used in other regional aquifer systems with diverse and complex geology.
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