Recharge and mineralization of groundwater of the Upper Cretaceous aquifer in Orontes basin,Syria |
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| Authors: | Abdulrahman Al-Charideh |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geology , Atomic Energy Commission of Syria (AECS) , PO Box 609 , Damascus , Syria cscientific@aec.org.sy |
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| Abstract: | Abstract Chemical and isotopic data of groundwater of the Upper Cretaceous aquifer in the Orontes basin, Syria, have been used to assess the groundwater geochemistry, the origin of groundwater recharge and groundwater residence time. The chemical data indicate that dissolution of evaporite minerals is the main process controlling groundwater mineralization. The composition of stable isotopes δ18O and δ2H, together with 14C activity, reflect the existence of three different groups: (a) groundwater in the Coastal Mountains with δ18O of –6.65‰, quite similar to modern-day precipitation, and high 14C (>50 pmC); (b) groundwater in the unconfined aquifer of the Hama Uplift, which has δ18O of –5.52‰ and 14C near 20 pmC, and is recharged locally; and (c) groundwater from the confined aquifer of the Homs Depression, which is characterized by more depleted δ18O,, –8.01‰, and low 14C (<7 pmC), and might be recharged in the northern piedmont of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The distinctive isotope signatures of the latter two groups indicate different recharge elevations and palaeoclimatic effects. The low recharge rate of the groundwater in the Hama Uplift aquifer, and the even slower recharge rate in the Homs Depression aquifer, are reflected by groundwater 14C residence times of 5 and over 22 Ka BP, respectively. Editor D. Koutsoyiannis Citation Al-Charideh, A., 2013. Recharge and mineralization of groundwater of the Upper Cretaceous aquifer in Orontes basin (Syria). Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (2), 452–467. |
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| Keywords: | geochemistry isotopes dating Orontes basin Syria |
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