ISSN:
1745-6584
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
,
Geosciences
Notes:
Chemical analyses of major dissolved constituents in approximately 300 samples of ground water and 60 samples of stream water indicate that the process of ion filtration may control the distribution of some major ionic species in the water of the Saginaw aquifer system. This system, which is in the upper Grand River basin of the central part of the southern peninsula of Michigan, consists of sandstone, shale, coal, and limestone of the Saginaw Formation of Pennsylvanian age and overlying glacially deposited sand and clay of late Wisconsin age.The Saginaw Formation is recharged through the glacially deposited material; however, the concentrations of iron, calcium, sulfate, and chloride are greater in water in the glacial deposits than in water in the underlying Saginaw Formation. It is hypothesized that shale beds in the Saginaw Formation act as ionic filters, allowing water with a lower dissolved-solids concentration to move through the shale to the sandstone aquifer. A concentration of ions greater than input value forms above the shale beds. Gravity provides the energy necessary to filter the water in a process of reverse osmosis. The similarity of this hydro-geologic system to other systems suggests that ion filtration may occur in many potable-water aquifers.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1976.tb03108.x
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