Geology Reports⌕ Search

USGS · 70015623

Seasonal and geothermal production variations in concentrations of He and CO2 in soil gases, Roosevelt Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area, Utah, U.S.A.

Abstract

To increase understanding of natural variations in soil gas concentrations, CO 2 , He, O 2 and N 2 were measured in soil gases collected regularly for several months from four sites at the Roosevelt Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area, Utah. Soil temperature, air temperature, per cent relative humidity, barometric pressure and amounts of rain and snowfall were also monitored to determine the effect of meteorological parameters on concentrations of the measured gases. Considerable seasonal variation existed in concentrations of CO 2 and He. The parameters that most affected the soil-gas concentrations were soil and air temperatures. Moisture from rain and snow probably affected the soil-gas concentrations also. However, annual variations in meteorological parameters did not appear to affect measurements of anomalous concentrations in samples collected within a time period of a few days. Production from some of the geothermal wells probably affected the soil-gas concentrations.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

M. E. Hinkle. 1991. Seasonal and geothermal production variations in concentrations of He and CO2 in soil gases, Roosevelt Hot Springs Known Geothermal Resource Area, Utah, U.S.A.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-2927(91)90061-s

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

Elemental and isotope geochemistry of Smackover Formation brines in Alabama and Arkansas: Implications for fluid mixing and water-rock interaction

This study investigates the geochemical characteristics of brines within the Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation in Alabama and Arkansas through elemental and isotopic analyses and geochemical modeling to reveal the extent and nature of fluid mixing and water-rock interactions. Smackover Formation brines exhibit Na-Cl-Ca hydrogeochemical facies and sulfate depletion relative to seawater. Lower sulfate concentrations, coupled with high H 2 S concentrations in some brines (0-364 mg/L) at temperatures >80°C, suggest that thermochemical sulfate reduction occurred. Cl/Br and Na/Br ratios indicate that salinity was controlled by the mixing of meteoric water with evaporated seawater that had reached halite saturation, rather than by halite dissolution. The δ 18 O and δ 2 H values of the brines also suggest mixing between meteoric water and evaporated seawater that had reached gypsum and halite saturation. Geochemical modeling of seawater evaporation predicts a Cl-Na or Cl-Mg facies after halite saturation, contrasting with the observed Cl-Ca dominance of the Smackover Formation brines. The Ca-enriched brines may have evolved from Cl-Mg-dominated evaporated seawater through dolomitization of limestone. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios range from 0.70740 to 0.71048, higher than the average of Jurassic seawater (0.707). The non-linear relationship between 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 1000/Sr suggests alteration of brine geochemistry by fluid mixing or by inputs from Sr and 87 Sr-enriched rock sources. Lithium concentrations are positively correlated with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios and TDS in brines enriched in these constituents. These correlations suggest deeper-seated geogenic sources and have implications for Li exploration in the northern Gulf Coast basin. Normal faults associated with the pre-Jurassic topography may have provided potential pathways for brine migration into the Smackover Formation under the influence of overpressure or thermohaline convection in the Gulf Coast.

Alabama↗

Evaluating drivers of environmental change in a lake sediment core: Insights from spectroscopic metrics of water-extractable organic matter and stable carbon isotopes

Freshwater lakes play a critical role in the global carbon cycle by storing and transforming organic matter (OM) from both terrestrial and aquatic sources. Small lakes in northern temperate regions, despite their limited surface area, disproportionately influence regional carbon budgets. Buried sediments integrate OM inputs over time and archive ecosystem responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. However, the direction and magnitude of recent environmental changes on sediment carbon (C) dynamics remain poorly understood. A 23-cm core was collected from a small temperate lake in northeastern USA to evaluate sediment OM content and composition over timescales relevant to historical land-use change, damming, and recovery from acid deposition. Patterns in OM burial and source contributions were revealed via elemental and isotopic analyses of bulk OM and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry of water-extractable organic matter (WEOM). The optical metrics expanded observations of likely OM sources beyond the information gained from bulk carbon metrics (total carbon, δ 13 C). The aromaticity of WEOM increased downcore, which is consistent with a shift from increased terrestrial inputs during early logging and damming activity (pre ∼1920) to more microbial-derived OM in recent surficial sediments. Future applications of WEOM optical properties as complements to traditional geochemical metrics can enhance interpretations of lake ecosystem responses recorded in lake sediments to environmental perturbations in temperate lakes.

New York↗

Erosion and transport of sediments in watersheds of southwest Puerto Rico determined from strontium isotopes and mixing models

Sediment outflow from streams to coastal regions can adversely affect water quality and the health of ecosystems including Puerto Rico's southwestern carbonate platform with shallow marine communities. Knowledge of sediment provenance and erosional areas would aid effective restoration to reduce excessive sedimentation. Strontium (Sr) isotopic ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) can be used to differentiate between sediment eroded into streams from different lithologies, or rock types, and used in mixing models to estimate proportions of source materials in downstream mixtures. The goal of this study was to use Sr isotopes to differentiate between river sediments in drainages with distinct geologies and present a case study where Sr isotope mixing models are used to identify sediment sourcing to Río Loco and Bahía de Guánica, a priority watershed of the U.S. Coral Reefs Task Force. For the Río Loco watershed, model results indicate that serpentinites in the uplands contributed approximately 71 % of sediment to Bahía de Guánica. About 21 % of sediment was from trachy-andesitic basalts in the foothills, and the remaining 8 % originated from sources on the coastal plain. Neither the uppermost headwater region of Río Loco, the Canal Principal De Riego Valle De Lajas, nor the tributary Quebrada Susúa appeared to be significant sources of sediment to Río Loco's mainstem or Bahía de Guánica at the time of the study. Our results demonstrate that sediment from the serpentinite-bearing areas of Río Loco watershed was effectively transported to the lowlands, which then discharge into Guánica Bay, and highlight the potential use of Sr isotopes as tracers of sediment provenance. This will, in turn, enable better science-based restoration efforts aimed at reducing terrestrial sediment erosion and impacts to marine ecosystems.

Puerto Rico↗