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Evidence of a water δ18O negative shift driven by intensive deep CO2 upflow at Shiwaga gas field (Rungwe, Tanzania)

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Abstract

Located on the flank of Ngozi volcanoes (Tanzania), the Shiwaga gas field is a spot of intense CO2(g) emanations. Physico-chemical measurements on different types of waters (rivers, puddles, and springs) as water and gas sampling were discontinuously performed over 10 years for equilibrated partial CO2 pressure calculations and stable isotopic analyses. The most striking result shows that meteoric H2O and deep originated CO2(g) exchanges are responsible for a negative 18O-shift of the studied waters in relation with waters electrical conductivity, pH, and pCO2eq changes. In spring waters, a maximum shift of − 11.2‰ in δ18O was observed and pCO2eq values up to 1196 mbar were computed. Although this trend has already been reported around the world, such extended shift is rarely measured and requires an important amount of CO2(g), with a CO2(g)/H2O ratio up more than 0.5 mol/mol. This approach is useful to better understand the hydro-geochemical processes involved in such environments. Moreover, this study evidences that an inventory as a monitoring of these gas fields are needed for the management of natural hazards and local resources.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the support of the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) of University of Dar es Salaam. The Masoko Lwifwa community is thanked for assisting us during fieldwork and Aurélie Noret for her help in laboratory work. We express our appreciation to Dr. Orlando Vaselli for his helpful comments on the first versions of the manuscript. This research was supported by the CLEHA project of the ECLIPSE program (Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers), the French Embassy and the Tanzanian Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH). This is a publication of the Rungwe Environmental Science Observatory Network (RESON).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GEOPS, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France

    Laurent Bergonzini & Manuëlla Delalande-Le Mouëllic

  2. Université de la Réunion, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, CNRS, UMR 7154 Laboratoire Géosciences Réunion, 97744, Saint-Denis, France

    Manuëlla Delalande-Le Mouëllic

  3. CNR, Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, Via G. Moruzzi, 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Fabrizio Gherardi

  4. Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Coll France CEREGE, Aix en Provence, France

    Pierre-Etienne Mathe

  5. IRA, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35097, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    Amos Majule

  6. IRD, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7159 LOCEAN, UPMC, MNHN, CNRS, IRD-IPSL, ICRAF, P.O. Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya

    David Williamson

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  1. Laurent Bergonzini
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Correspondence to Manuëlla Delalande-Le Mouëllic.

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Bergonzini, L., Delalande-Le Mouëllic, M., Gherardi, F. et al. Evidence of a water δ18O negative shift driven by intensive deep CO2 upflow at Shiwaga gas field (Rungwe, Tanzania). Environ Earth Sci 77, 497 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7665-2

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