Abstract
This study was based on the analysis of isotopic compositions of hydrogen and oxygen in samples from precipitation, groundwater and stream water. In addition, parts of groundwater samples were dated by carbon-14 and tritium. These data are integrated to provide other views of the hydrologic cycle in the Hsinchu-Miaoli groundwater district. The groundwater district is principally composed of Pleistocene and Holocene aquifers. The Pleistocene aquifers are highly deformed by folding and faults into small sub-districts with areas of only tens of square kilometers. These aquifers are exclusively recharged by local precipitation. The Holocene aquifers cover narrow creek valleys, only tens of meters in thickness. The local meteoric water line (LMWL), constructed from rainfall samples in the Hsinchu Science Park, is described by the equation δD=8.02δ18O+10.16, which agrees with the global meteoric water line. In addition, the precipitation isotopic compositions can be categorized into two distinct end members: typhoon type and monsoon type. The groundwater isotopic compositions are perfectly located on an LMWL and can be considered a mixture of precipitations. Based on the mass balance of isotopic compositions of oxygen and hydrogen, infiltration is more active in the rainy season with depleted isotopic compositions. The amount of infiltration during May–September is roughly estimated to comprise at least 55% of the whole year’s recharge. The isotopic compositions of stream water are expressed by a regression equation: δD=7.61δ18O+9.62, which is similar to the LMWL. Although precipitation isotopic compositions are depleted during summer time, the isotopic compositions contrarily show an enriched trend in the upstream area. This is explained by the opposite altitude effect on isotopic compositions for typhoon-related precipitations.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Chao-Chung Lin and Li-Yuan Fei for their support throughout the project. We also thank the journal reviewers for their detailed and helpful comments. This study was funded by the Central Geological Survey, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan.
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Stable isotopic compositions of precipitations collected from the Hsinchu Science Park in HMGD
Sample number | Sampling date | δD (‰) | δ18O (‰) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2003/1/9 | −16.9 | −3.7 |
2 | 2003/1/22 | −7.1 | −2.2 |
3 | 2003/2/4 | −18.8 | −4.0 |
4 | 2003/2/10 | 3.0 | −1.2 |
5 | 2003/2/15 | −6.1 | −2.1 |
6 | 2003/3/3 | −5.9 | −2.2 |
7 | 2003/3/6 | −13.1 | −3.2 |
8 | 2003/3/9 | −14.2 | −3.4 |
9 | 2003/3/10 | −5.9 | −2.2 |
10 | 2003/3/19 | −8.0 | −2.6 |
11 | 2003/3/20 | −16.8 | −3.6 |
12 | 2003/3/23 | −5.1 | −0.9 |
13 | 2003/3/24 | −6.2 | −2.3 |
14 | 2003/3/29 | −12.8 | −2.9 |
15 | 2003/4/3 | −26.7 | −4.9 |
16 | 2003/4/4 | −22.2 | −4.2 |
17 | 2003/4/7 | 3.0 | −1.0 |
18 | 2003/4/8 | 13.0 | 0.3 |
19 | 2003/4/9 | −11.9 | −3.0 |
20 | 2003/4/11 | 3.1 | −0.8 |
21 | 2003/4/14 | −2.0 | −1.6 |
22 | 2003/4/15 | 0.9 | −1.4 |
23 | 2003/4/25 | 1.1 | −1.1 |
24 | 2003/5/1 | 11.0 | −0.1 |
25 | 2003/5/4 | −2.9 | −1.2 |
26 | 2003/5/8 | −25.1 | −3.8 |
27 | 2003/5/15 | −29.8 | −4.6 |
28 | 2003/5/16 | −45.3 | −6.6 |
29 | 2003/5/17 | −15.1 | −3.0 |
30 | 2003/5/18 | −25.9 | −4.4 |
31 | 2003/6/8 | −69.2 | −9.8 |
32 | 2003/6/9 | −78.2 | −11.0 |
33 | 2003/6/12 | −17.1 | −3.0 |
34 | 2003/6/13 | −6.0 | −1.5 |
35 | 2003/6/18 | −20.9 | −3.4 |
Appendix 2
Stable isotopic compositions of groundwaters from HMGD
Sample number | Screen depth (m) | δD (‰) | δ18O (‰) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 36 | −36.6 | −5.8 |
2 | 100 | −32.7 | −5.7 |
3 | 176 | −39.1 | −6.2 |
4 | 234 | −42.1 | −6.4 |
5 | 76 | −39.3 | −6.5 |
6 | 114 | −43.2 | −6.6 |
7 | 150 | −43.0 | −6.5 |
8 | 63 | −39.2 | −6.8 |
9 | 108 | −41.1 | −7.0 |
10 | 64 | −32.7 | −6.0 |
11 | 36 | −45.8 | −6.9 |
12 | 85 | −43.8 | −6.9 |
13 | 134 | −43.3 | −6.8 |
14 | 163 | −44.3 | −6.8 |
15 | 21 | −33.7 | −5.9 |
16 | 99 | −36.0 | −6.1 |
17 | 132 | −42.4 | −6.4 |
18 | 18 | −36.6 | −6.2 |
19 | 107 | −38.5 | −6.2 |
20 | 53 | −37.6 | −6.6 |
21 | 99 | −36.9 | −6.5 |
22 | 26 | −37.5 | −5.8 |
23 | 20 | −42.0 | −6.6 |
24 | 66 | −44.5 | −6.8 |
25 | 24 | −44.7 | −6.8 |
26 | 51 | −41.6 | −6.4 |
27 | 85 | −47.1 | −7.1 |
28 | 48 | −43.0 | −7.1 |
29 | 106 | −46.1 | −7.6 |
30 | 22 | −45.0 | −6.7 |
31 | 146 | −40.2 | −6.2 |
32 | 58 | −41.0 | −6.2 |
33 | 107 | −42.1 | −6.8 |
Appendix 3
Stable isotopic compositions of stream waters from HMGD
Sample number | Sample altitude (m) | 2001/2 | 2001/7 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
δD (‰) | δ18O (‰) | δD (‰) | δ18O (‰) | ||
1 | 10 | −24.6 | −4.42 | −34.2 | −5.8 |
2 | 90 | −38.1 | −6.32 | −35.4 | −6.1 |
3 | 10 | −32.4 | −5.06 | −36.4 | −6.1 |
4 | 50 | −36.4 | −5.9 | −38.5 | −6.5 |
5 | 140 | −39.2 | −6.55 | −43.1 | −7.1 |
6 | 220 | −52.3 | −7.74 | −46.3 | −7.5 |
7 | 160 | −41.3 | −6.85 | −41.7 | −6.8 |
8 | 10 | −47.3 | −7.48 | −53 | −8.2 |
9 | 70 | −51.6 | −8.05 | −54.6 | −8.5 |
10 | 90 | −55.7 | −8.34 | −53 | −8.3 |
11 | 150 | −56.1 | −8.4 | −56.8 | −8.8 |
12 | 210 | −59.1 | −9.07 | −58.5 | −9.0 |
13 | 310 | −62.4 | −9.38 | −63.4 | −9.3 |
14 | 810 | −64.1 | −9.57 | −64.4 | −9.5 |
15 | 130 | −54.8 | −8.38 | −52.2 | −8.3 |
16 | 270 | −55.8 | −8.54 | −53.7 | −8.5 |
17 | 430 | −59.4 | −8.97 | −55.5 | −8.7 |
18 | 570 | −59.2 | −9.05 | −58.9 | −9.0 |
19 | 10 | −45.3 | −7.23 | −46.3 | −7.4 |
20 | 70 | −33.9 | −5.88 | −35.1 | −5.9 |
21 | 150 | −54.3 | −8.42 | −48.4 | −7.8 |
22 | 10 | −37.4 | −6.38 | −49.5 | −7.5 |
23 | 40 | −46.4 | −7.18 | −47.5 | −7.6 |
24 | 150 | −52.6 | −8.2 | −55.8 | −8.2 |
25 | 570 | −53.5 | −8.41 | −53.6 | −8.5 |
26 | 650 | −62.8 | −9.47 | −58.9 | −9.1 |
27 | 10 | −40.9 | −6.2 | −47.7 | −7.2 |
28 | 10 | −44.2 | −7.02 | −46.2 | −7.5 |
29 | 70 | −45.5 | −7.21 | −50.1 | −7.7 |
30 | 330 | −57.1 | −8.62 | −53.8 | −8.5 |
31 | 250 | −51.9 | −7.89 | −55.1 | −8.1 |
32 | 370 | −45.1 | −7.35 | −52.3 | −8.0 |
33 | 450 | −58.7 | −8.57 | −55.3 | −8.6 |
34 | 450 | −62.4 | −8.98 | −56.7 | −8.8 |
35 | 10 | −25.1 | −4.2 | −32.2 | −5.5 |
36 | 50 | −33.8 | −5.46 | −35.2 | −6.0 |
37 | 120 | −42.8 | −6.54 | −38.1 | −6.3 |
38 | 210 | −44.3 | −6.88 | −46.1 | −7.2 |
39 | 340 | −46.8 | −7.52 | −51.5 | −7.7 |
40 | 10 | −54.5 | −7.88 | −53.6 | −8.4 |
41 | 70 | −59.7 | −8.5 | −51.7 | −8.0 |
42 | 70 | – | – | −34.1 | −5.8 |
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Lu, HY., Peng, TR., Liu, TK. et al. Study of stable isotopes for highly deformed aquifers in the Hsinchu-Miaoli area, Taiwan. Environ Geol 50, 885–898 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0260-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0260-y