Abstract
El Chichón volcano hosts an intense hydrothermal system with surface manifestations consisting of an acid lake, steam vents, steam-heated boiling pools, mud pools and boiling springs in the crater, as well as several hot springs located on the outer slopes. This chapter reviews previous studies of the El Chichón volcano-hydrothermal system and proposes a conceptual model of the aquifer structure based on more than 15 years of fluid geochemical monitoring (major and rare-earth elements, δ18O-δD, 87Sr/86Sr). This model contains two aquifers: (1) Aquifer 1, located beneath the crater in the volcanic deposits, produces a total thermal water discharge of 220 L/s and feeds the flank ‘Agua Caliente-Agua Tibia’ spring group; (2) Aquifer 2, much deeper and with a lower total discharge of 7 L/s, is located in the evaporite-limestone basement and feeds the flank ‘Agua Salada-Agua Salada new’ spring group. The deep waters from Aquifer 2 have a much higher salinity than Aquifer 1 waters (25,000 vs. 2,200 mg/L Cl) and can be associated with oil-field brines. The crater lake chemistry and dynamics are mainly controlled by the steam condensation from Aquifer 1 waters and by the activity of the Soap Pool springs. Their chemical and isotopic composition can be associated with the volcanic Aquifer 1 water by a model of a single step liquid-vapor separation. Finally, El Chichón volcano is located in a non-classic volcanic arc and rather peculiar local and regional tectonic setting, as supported by CO2 flux surveys and He and C isotope systematics of emitted gases.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andrews BJ, Gardner JE, Housh TB (2008) Repeated recharge, assimilation and hybridization in magmas erupted from El Chichón as recorded by plagioclase and amphibole phenocrysts. J Volcanol Geoth Res 175:415–426
Armienta MA, De la Cruz-Reyna S (1995) Some hydrochemical fluctuations observed in Mexico related to volcanic activity. Appl Geochem 10:215–227
Atlas de Agua de la Republica Mexicana (1976) Secretaria de recursos hidraulicos, México
Birkle P, Martínez BG, Milland CP, Eglington B (2009) Origin and evolution of formation water at the Jujo-Tecominoacán oil reservoir, Gulf of Mexico. Part 1: chemical evolution and water–rock interaction. Appl Geochem 24:543–554
Canul RF, Rocha VL (1981) Informe geológico de la zonageotérmica de “El Chichonal”. Chiapas Com Fed de Electr, Morelia, México. Informe pp 32–81, 38 p
Casadevall TJ, De la Cruz-Reyna S, Rose WI, Bagley S, Finnegan DL, Zoller WH (1984) Crater lake and post-eruption hydrothermal activity, El Chichón Volcano, Mexico. J Volcanol Geoth Res 23:169–191
Chiodini G, Cioni R, Guidi M, Raco B, Marini L (1998) Soil CO2 flux measurements in volcanic and geothermal areas. Appl Geochem 13:543–552
Davis S, Bentley H (1982) Dating groundwater, a short review. In: Currie L (ed) Nuclear and chemical dating techniques: interpreting the environmental record. Am Chem Soc Symp Ser 176:187–222
Espíndola JM, Macías JL, Tilling RI, Sheridan MF (2000) Volcanic history of El Chichón Volcano (Chiapas, Mexico) during the Holocene, and its impact on human activity. Bull Volcanol 62:90–104
Fournier RO (1981) Application of water chemistry to geothermal exploration and reservoir engineering. In: Rybach L, Muffler LJP (eds) Geothermal Systems. Wiley, Principles and Case Histories, pp 109–140
Fournier RO (1989) Geochemistry and dynamics of the Yellowstone National Park hydrothermal system. Ann Rev Earth Planet Sci 17:13–53
García-Palomo A, Macías JL, Espíndola JM (2004) Strike-slip faults and K-alkaline volcanism at El Chichón volcano, southeastern Mexico. J Volcanol Geoth Res 136:247–268
Giggenbach WF (1978) The isotopic composition of waters from the El Tatio geothermal field, Northern Chile. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 42:979–988
Giggenbach WF (1981) Geothermal mineral equilibria. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 45:393–410
Giggenbach WF (1987) Redox processes governing the chemistry of fumarolic gas discharges from White Island, New Zealand. Appl Geochem 2:143–161
Giggenbach WF (1988) Geothermal solute equilibria. Derivation of Na–K–Mg–Cageoindicators. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 52:2749–2765
Giggenbach WF (1992) The composition of gases in geothermal and volcanic systems as a function of tectonic setting. In: Proceedings international symposium water-rock interaction. Balkema vol 7, pp 873–878
Henley RW, Truesdell AH, Barton PB, Whitney JA (1984) Fluid-mineral equilibria in hydrothermal systems. Rev Econ Geol 1:267
Hilton DR, Fischer TP, Marty B (2002) Noble gases and volatile recycling at subduction zones. In: Porcelli D, Ballentine CJ,Wieler R (eds) Noble gases in cosmochemistry and geochemistry. Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, pp 319–370
Horita J, Wesolowski DJ (1994) Liquid-vapor fractionation of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water from the freezing to the critical temperature. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 58:3425–2437
Inbar M, Reyes Enriquez A, Graniel JH (2001) Morphological changes and erosion processes following the 1982 eruption of El Chichón volcano, Chiapas, Mexico. Geomorphologie: relief, processes, environment. N3: 175–184
Jutzeler M, Varley N, Roach M (2011) Geophysical characterization of hydrothermal systems and intrusive bodies, El Chichón volcano (Mexico). J Geophys Res 116. doi:10.1029/2010JB007992
Layer PW, García-Palomo A, Jones D, Macías JL, Arce JL, Mora JC (2009) El Chichón volcanic complex, Chiapas, México: stages of evolution based on field mapping and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. Geofis Int 48:33–54
Lewis AJ, Palmer MA, Sturchio NC, Kemp AJ (1997) The rare earth element geochemistry of acid-sulphate and acid-sulphate-chloride geothermal systems from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 61:695–706
Luhr JF, Carmichael ISE, Varekamp JC (1984) The 1982 eruptions of El Chichón volcano, Chiapas, Mexico: mineralogy and petrology of the anhydrite-bearing pumices. J Volcanol Geoth Res 23:69–108
Macías JL (1994) Violent short–lived eruptions from small–size volcanoes: El Chichón, Mexico (1982) and Shtyubel’, Russia (1907). PhD thesis. Buffalo, State University of New York at Buffalo, 193 pp
Macías JL, Arce JL, Garduño-Monroy VH, Rouwet D, Taran Y (2010) Estudio de prospección geotérmica para evaluar el potencial del volcán Chichónal, Chiapas. Convenio n° 9400047770 IGF-UNAM-CFE
Majoube M (1971) Fractionnement en oxygene-18 et en deuterium entre l’eau et sa vapeur. J Chim Phys 197:1423–1436
Manea VC, Manea M (2006) The origin of modern Chiapanecan volcanic arc in southern Mexico inferred from thermal models. In: Rose WI, Bluth GJS, Carr MJ, Ewert JW, Patino LC, Vallance JW (eds), ch2: Volcanic Hazards in Central America. GSA Special Paper, vol 412, pp 27–38
Marty B, Jambon A (1987) C/3He in volatile fluxes from the solid Earth: implications for carbon geodynamics. Earth Planet Sci Lett 83:16–26
Mazot A, Taran YA (2009) CO2 flux from the crater lake of El Chichón volcano (México). Geofis Int 48:73–83
Mazot A, Rouwet D, Taran Y, Inguaggiato S, Varley N (2011) CO2 and He degassing at El Chichón volcano, Chiapas, Mexico: gas flux, origin and relationship with local and regional tectonics. In: Inguaggiato S, Shinohara H, Fischer T (eds) Geochemistry of volcanic fluids: a special issue in honor of Yuri A. Taran Bull Volcanol vol 73, pp 423–442
Méndez Ortiz BA (2007) Geoquímica e isotopía de aguas de formación (salmueras petroleras) de campos mesozoicos de la cuenca del sureste de México: implicación en su origen, evolución e interacción agua-roca en yacimientos petroleros. PhD Thesis, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico-CGEO, 224 pp
Michard A (1989) Rare earth element systematics in hydrothermal fluids. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 53:745–750
Molina-Berbeyer R (1974) Informe preliminar geoquímico de los fluidos geotérmicos del volcán del Chichonál, Chiapas. Unpublished report. Comisión Federal de Electricidad, México. Informe 27–74:24
Morton-Bermea O, Armienta MA, Ramos S (2010) Rare-earth element distribution in water from El Chichón Volcano Crater Lake, Chiapas Mexico. Geofis Int 49:43–54
Müllerried FKG (1933) El Chichón, único volcán en actividad descubierto en el estado de Chiapas. Memorias de la Sociedad Científica Antonio Alzate 54:411–416
Peiffer L (2011) Caracterización geoquímica y potencial geotérmico de los acuíferos del volcán El Chichón, Chiapas, México. PhD Thesis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 182 pp
Peiffer L, Taran Y, Lounejeva E, Solis-Pichardo G, Rouwet D, Bernard-Romero R (2011) Tracing thermal aquifers of El Chichón volcano-hydrothermal system (México) with 87Sr/86Sr, Ca/Sr and REE. J Volcanol Geoth Res 205:55–66
Peterman ZE, Hedge CE, Tourtelot HA (1970) Isotopic composition of Sr in seawater throughout Phanerozoic time. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 34:105–120
Rouwet D (2006) Estudio geoquímico comparativo de los sistemas hidrotermales de los volcanes activos en Chiapas: El Chichón and Tacaná. PhD Thesis, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 226 pp
Rouwet D (2011) A photographic method for detailing the morphology of the floor of a dynamic crater lake: the El Chichón case (Chiapas, Mexico). Limnology 12(3):225–233
Rouwet D, Taran Y, Varley NR (2004) Dynamics and mass balance of El Chichón crater lake, Mexico. Geofis Int 43:427–434
Rouwet D, Taran Y, Inguaggiato S, Varley N, Santiago SJA (2008) Hydrochemical dynamics of the “lake–spring” system in the crater of El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico). J Volcanol Geoth Res 178:237–248
Rouwet D, Bellomo S, Brusca L, Inguaggiato S, Jutzeler M, Mora R, Mazot A, Bernard R, Cassidy M, Taran Y (2009) Major and trace element geochemistry of El Chichón volcano-hydrothermal system (Chiapas, Mexico) in 2006–2007: implications for future geochemical monitoring. Geofis Int 48:55–72
Rowe GL, Brantley SL, Fernández JF, Borgia A (1995) The chemical and hydrologic structure of Poás volcano, Costa Rica. J Volcanol Geoth Res 64:233–267
Sano Y, Marty B (1995) Origin of carbon in fumarolic gases from island arcs. Chem Geol 119:265–274
Sruoga P, Rubinstein N, Hinterwimmer G (2004) Porosity and permeability in volcanic rocks: a case study on the Serie Tobifera, South Patagonia, Argentina. J Volcanol Geoth Res 132:31–43
Stimac JA, Goff F, Counce D, Larocque ACL, Hilton DR, Morgenstern U (2004) The crater lake and hydrothermal system of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines: evolution in the decade after the eruption. Bull Volcanol 66:149–167
Takano B, Suzuki K, Sugimori K, Ohba T, Fazlullin SM, Bernard A, Sumarti S, Sukhyar R, Hirabayashi M (2004) Bathymetric and geochemical investigation of KawahIjen Crater Lake, East Java, Indonesia. J Volcanol Geoth Res 135:299–329
Taran YA, Peiffer L (2009) Hydrology, hydrochemistry and geothermal potential of El Chichón volcano–hydrothermal system, Mexico. Geothermics 38:370–378
Taran Y, Rouwet D (2008) Estimating thermal inflow to El Chichón crater lake using the energy-budget, chemical and isotope balance approaches. J Volcanol Geoth Res 175:472–481
Taran YA, Varley NR (1999) New data about El Chichón crater lake. IAVCEI meeting, Jakarta
Taran Y, Fischer TP, Pokrovsky B, Sano Y, Armienta MA, Macías JL (1998) Geochemistry of the volcano–hydrothermal system of El Chichón Volcano, Chiapas, Mexico. Bull Volcanol 59:436–449
Taran Y, Rouwet D, Inguaggiato S, Aiuppa A (2008) Major and trace element geochemistry of neutral and acidic thermal springs at El Chichón volcano, Mexico. Implications for monitoring of the volcanic activity. J Volcanol Geoth Res 178:224–236
Tassi F, Vaselli O, Capaccioni B, Macías JL, Nencetti A, Montegrossi G, Magro G (2003) Chemical composition of fumarolic gases and spring discharges from El Chichón volcano, Mexico: causes and implications of the changes detected over the period 1998–2000. J Volcanol Geoth Res 123:105–121
Templos LA, Munguia Bracamontes F, Barrera VM (1981) Observaciones geoquímicas en la zona geotérmica del Chichonál, Chiapas, México. Unpublished report. Comisión Federal de Electricidad, Mexico. Informe 33–81:32 pp
Truesdell AH, Nathenson M, Rye RO (1977) The effects of subsurface boiling and dilution on the isotopic compositions of Yellowstone thermal waters. J Geophys Res 82:3694–3703
Varekamp JC, Kreulen R (2000) The stable isotope geochemistry of volcanic lakes, with examples from Indonesia. J Volcanol Geoth Res 97:309–327
Varekamp JC, Pasternack GB, Rowe GL (2000) Volcanic lake systematics II. Chemical constraints. J Volcanic Geoth Res 97:161–180
Wohletz K, Heiken G (1992) Volcanology and Geothermal Energy. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, p 432
Wood SA (2006) Rare earth element systematics of acidic geothermal waters from the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. J Geochem Explor 89:424–427
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peiffer, L., Rouwet, D., Taran, Y. (2015). Fluid Geochemistry of El Chichón Volcano-Hydrothermal System. In: Scolamacchia, T., Macías, J. (eds) Active Volcanoes of Chiapas (Mexico): El Chichón and Tacaná. Active Volcanoes of the World. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25890-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25890-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-25889-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-25890-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)