title: Chemical and isotopic constrains on the origin of brine and saline groundwater in Hetao plain, Inner Mongolia.
abstract: The origin and evolution of brine and saline groundwater have always been a challenged work for geochemists and hydrogeologists. Chemical and isotopic data of brine and saline waters were used to trace the sources of salinity and therefore to understand the transport mechanisms of groundwater in Xishanzui, Inner Mongolia. Both Cl/Br (molar) versus Na/Br (molar) and Cl (meq/L) versus Na (meq/L) indicated that salinity was from halite dissolution or at least a significant impact by halite dissolution. The logarithmic plot of the concentration trends of Cl (mg/L) versus Br (mg/L) for the evaporation of seawater and the Qinghai Salt Lake showed that the terrestrial halite dissolution was the dominated contribution for the salinity of this brine. The stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen suggested that the origin of brine was from paleorecharge water which experienced mixing of modern water in shallow aquifer. δ(37)Cl values ranged from -0.02 to 3.43 ‰ (SMOC), and reflecting mixing of different sources. The Cl isotopic compositions suggest that the dissolution of halite by paleometeoric water had a great contribution to the salinity of brine, and the contributions of the residual seawater and the dissolution of halite by the Yellow River water could be excluded.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. chenzy88@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Zongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Yilong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Zhenghong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Jiaming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D007554:Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D054712:Salinity; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D012492:Salts; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C017082:brine; D012965:Sodium Chloride
keywords: Brine and saline water; Conceptual model; Ratios of chemical compositions; Source of salinity; Stable isotope; Water quality