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Hydrochemistry, evolution, and origin of brines in supratidal saline pans, south Jeddah, Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

The supratidal, saline pans and surrounding wet sabkha area, south Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have seawater seepages with a salinity of 40 ‰ that increases to 80–140 and 220–375 ‰ during deposition of gypsum and halite, respectively. The concentration order of the dominant cations and anions in the saline pans is sodium (Na+) > magnesium (Mg2+) > potassium (K+) > calcium (Ca2+) and chloride (Cl−) > sulfate ions (SO4 2−) > bicarbonate ions (HCO3 −), respectively. The dominant brine type is Mg and sodium chloride. Correlations of the various ions in the saline pans indicate positive relations between Na+ and Cl−, Na+ and total dissolved solids (TDS), and Cl− and TDS due to halite precipitation at a high salinity value. Negative correlations between Ca2+ and SO4 2− and between Ca2+ and HCO3 − are related to the reduction of SO4 2− and oxidation of organic matter by sulfate-reducing bacteria, which is confirmed also by the positive correlation of HCO3 − and alkalinity. The high Mg/Ca ratio is related to the enrichment of the brine with bittern salts such as MgCl2 and KCl. The chemical data of the brines indicate their source from recent and old marine waters of MgCl2 and CaCl2 characters. The contribution of meteoric water has a minor effect on the composition of the brine in the saline pans.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, under grant No. 289 / 145 / 1432. The authors, therefore, acknowledge with thanks the technical and financial support of DSR. Thanks are also extended to the anonymous reviewers for their careful reading of the manuscript and their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Rushdi J. Taj & Mahmoud A. Aref

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Mahmoud A. Aref

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  1. Rushdi J. Taj
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  2. Mahmoud A. Aref
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Correspondence to Mahmoud A. Aref.

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Taj, R.J., Aref, M.A. Hydrochemistry, evolution, and origin of brines in supratidal saline pans, south Jeddah, Red Sea coast, Saudi Arabia. Arab J Geosci 8, 8835–8851 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1799-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1799-2

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