ISSN:
1573-5117
Keywords:
Saline lakes
;
brines
;
carbonates
;
chemical divides
;
mudflats
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract There are more than 100 closed, saline lakes in the semiarid, intermontane plateaus of British Columbia. They range from shallow perennial lakes to ephemeral playas. Most are groundwater-fed and lie within glaciofluvial deposits and till. Some have permanent salts. Where underlain by basalts, sodium carbonate brines predominate. Magnesium sulphate brines occur where catchments lie within Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, metasediments and basic volcanics. A few sodium sulphate brines are also present. A reconnaissance study of the sediments and mineralogy of 21 lake basins has shown that carbonates, including extensive magnesite and hydromagnesite deposits, and several occurrences of protodolomite, are widely precipitated in lake basins of each brine type. Analyses of stream, spring, ground and lake waters from the Cariboo Plateau region demonstrate that carbonate precipitation probably constitutes the major chemical divide responsible for producing the two dominant types of brine.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00026939
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