Evgeniia V. Domrocheva & Elena V. Zippa
Abstract. This paper discusses N2-thermal waters of the Baikal Rift Zone, enriched in various elements, including Na, SO4, F and a number of trace elements (Sr, Br, Li, Al etc.). Temperature, alkaline conditions and oxidation-reduction processes affect the solubility and stability of compounds, determining their migration forms. Understanding migration chemical elements helps to reveal the mechanisms of geochemical processes in general. This is extremely important for understanding the formation of natural waters composition as well as for assessing the climate change impact on the regional ecosystems.
Aim. To calculate the migration forms for main ions and some trace elements in thermal waters of the Baikal Rift Zone.
Methods. Chemical composition of therm and Corg was analyzed in the certified laboratory of Geoecology and Hydrogeochemistry of the Institute of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Chita, Russia). Trace elements analysis and determination of total organic carbon were carried out at the Department of Radiochemistry of Moscow State University. Migration forms of chemical elements were calculated using the HydroGeo software package.
Results and conclusions. It was obtained that cations migrate in simple ionic species. The main cations Na⁺ and K⁺ migrate predominantly in simple ionic species (more than 90% for Na⁺ and more than 80% for K⁺), while Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ have significantly lower (30–50 and 20–25%, respectively). Complexation is mainly associated with sulfates, especially for Ca, Mg, Li, Na and K. Carbonate complexes are formed with Fe, Mn and Li. Carbonate species are practically absent in alkaline thermal waters due to the low solubility of carbonates at elevated temperatures.
Russian Climate Research 