Geology topics

Donald J. DePaolo

Publications and source records attributed to Donald J. DePaolo.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2019

Multiproxy Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary event stratigraphy: An Umbria-Marche basin-wide perspective

The complete and well-studied pelagic carbonate successions from the Umbria-Marche Basin (Italy) permit the study of the event-rich stratigraphical interval around the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (e.g., Deccan volcanism, boundary impact, Paleocene recovery and climate). To test the robustness of various proxy records (bulk carbonate δ13C, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr and Ca, Fe, Sr and Mn concentrations) inside the Umbria-Marche basin, several stratigraphically equivalent sections were investigated (Bottaccione Gorge, Contessa Highway, Fornaci East quarry, Frontale, Morello and Petriccio Core). Besides the classical Gubbio sections of Bottaccione and Contessa, the new Morello section is put forward as an alternative location for this stratigraphical interval as it is less altered by burial diagenesis. Elemental profiles (Ca, Fe, Sr, Mn) acquired by handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) efficiently provide regional chemostratigraphical and paleoenvironmental information. The Deccan volcanism, the K-Pg boundary, the characteristic pattern of the Sr/Ca profile across the boundary driven by the extinction and recovery of coccolithophores, and the Dan-C2 hyperthermal event are examples of such recorded paleoenvironmental events. Moreover, cyclostratigraphic analyses of proxies of detrital input (magnetic susceptibility and Fe concentrations) show the imprint in the sedimentary record of a 2.4 Myr eccentricity minimum around 66.45-66.25 Ma and suggest that the occurrence of the Dan-C2 hyperthermal event was astronomically paced.

Umbria-Marche basin↗

USGS2013

Ca, Sr, O and D isotope approach to defining the chemical evolution of hydrothermal fluids: example from Long Valley, CA, USA

We present chemical and isotopic data for fluids, minerals and rocks from the Long Valley meteoric-hydrothermal system. The samples encompass the presumed hydrothermal upwelling zone in the west moat of the caldera, the Casa Diablo geothermal field, and a series of wells defining a nearly linear, ∼16 km long, west-to-east trend along the likely fluid flow path. Fluid samples were analyzed for the isotopes of water, Sr, and Ca, the concentrations of major cations and anions, alkalinity, and total CO 2 . Water isotope data conform to trends documented in earlier studies, interpreted as indicating a single hydrothermal fluid mixing with local groundwater. Sr isotopes show subtle changes along the flow path, which requires rapid fluid flow and minimal reaction between the channelized fluids and the wallrocks. Sr and O isotopes are used to calculate fracture spacing using a dual porosity model. Calculated fracture spacing and temperature data for hydrothermal fluids indicate the system is (approximately) at steady-state. Correlated variations among total CO 2 , and the concentration and isotopic composition of Ca suggest progressive fluid degassing (loss of CO 2 ), which drives calcite precipitation as the fluid flows west-to-east and cools. The shifts in Ca isotopes require that calcite precipitated at temperatures of 150–180 °C is fractionated by ca. −0.3‰ to −0.5‰ relative to aqueous species. Our data are the first evidence that Ca isotopes undergo kinetic fractionation at high temperatures (>100 °C) and can be used to trace calcite precipitation along hydrothermal fluid flow paths.

California↗

USGS2008

Isotopic constraints on the chemical evolution of geothermal fluids, Long Valley, CA

A spatial survey of the chemical and isotopic composition of fluids from the Long Valley hydrothermal system was conducted. Starting at the presumed hydrothermal upwelling zone in the west moat of the caldera, samples were collected from the Casa Diablo geothermal field and a series of monitoring wells defining a nearly linear, ~14 km long, west-to-east trend along the proposed fluid flow path (Sorey et al., 1991). Samples were analyzed for the isotopes of water, Sr, Ca, and noble gases, the concentrations of major cations and anions and total CO 2 . Our data confirm earlier models in which the variations in water isotopes along the flow path reflect mixing of a single hydrothermal fluid with local groundwater. Variations in Sr data are poorly constrained and reflect fluid mixing, multiple fluid-pathways or water-rock exchange along the flow path as suggested by Goff et al., (1991). Correlated variations among total CO 2 , noble gases and the concentration and isotopic composition of Ca suggest progressive fluid degassing (loss of CO 2 , noble gases) driving calcite precipitation as the fluid flows west-to-east across the caldera. This is the first evidence that Ca isotopes may trace and provide definitive evidence of calcite precipitation along fluid flow paths in geothermal systems.

California↗

USGS2000

Groundwater “fast paths” in the Snake River Plain aquifer: Radiogenic isotope ratios as natural groundwater tracers

Preferential flow paths are expected in many groundwater systems and must be located because they can greatly affect contaminant transport. The fundamental characteristics of radiogenic isotope ratios in chemically evolving waters make them highly effective as preferential flow path indicators. These ratios tend to be more easily interpreted than solute-concentration data because their response to water-rock interaction is less complex. We demonstrate this approach with groundwater 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in the Snake River Plain aquifer within and near the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. These data reveal slow-flow zones as lower 87 Sr/ 86 Sr areas created by prolonged interaction with the host basalts and a relatively fast flowing zone as a high 87 Sr/ 86 Sr area.

Idaho↗