Abstract
Natural springs have been reliable sources of domestic water and have allowed for the development of recreational facilities and resorts in the Central Appalachians. The structural history of this area is complex and it is unknown whether these natural springs receive significant recharge from modern precipitation or whether they discharge old water recharged over geological times scales. The main objective of this study was to use stable isotopes of water (\(\delta^{18} {\text{O}}_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}\) and \(\delta^{2} {\text{H}}_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}}\)), dissolved inorganic carbon (\(\delta^{13} {\text{C}}_{\text{DIC}}\)) and dissolved sulfate (\(\delta^{34} {\text{S}}_{{{\text{SO}}_{4} }}\) and \(\delta^{18} {\text{O}}_{{{\text{SO}}_{4} }}\)) to delineate sources of water, carbon and sulfur in several natural springs of the region. Our preliminary isotope data indicate that all springs are being recharged by modern precipitation. The oxygen isotope composition indicates that waters in thermal springs did not encounter the high temperatures required for O isotope exchange between the water and silicate/carbonate minerals, and/or the residence time of water in the aquifers was short due to high flow rates. The carbon isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon and sulfur/oxygen isotopic composition of dissolved sulfate provide evidence of low-temperature water–rock interactions and various biogeochemical transformations these waters have undergone along their flow path.
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Acknowledgments
This research was performed as part of the collaborative initiative of National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Regional University Alliance (NETL-RUA), under the RES contract DE-FE0004000. J. Moore is acknowledged for help in sampling and sharing some of his thesis geochemical data. The isotopic data presented in the paper is part of bigger ongoing collaborative project with Drs.’ D. Vesper, H. Edenborn, A. Hartsock, R. Capo and B. Stewart. The study design and sampling were made possible by their prior knowledge of these sites. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.
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Sack, A.L., Sharma, S. A multi-isotope approach for understanding sources of water, carbon and sulfur in natural springs of the Central Appalachian region. Environ Earth Sci 71, 4715–4724 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2862-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2862-5