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Article Dans Une Revue (Article De Synthèse) Journal of Hydrology Année : 2024

Using natural gas content of groundwater to improve the understanding of complex thermo-mineral spring systems

Résumé

The varied gaseous composition of thermo-mineral waters emerging in a non-active zone reflects the diversity and complexity of groundwater pathways and provides important insights into their hydrogeological behaviours. The investigated geochemical content of complex thermo-mineral springs revealed the need to use dissolved gas contents as part of a multi-tracer approach to discriminate processes, geogenic (water–gas-rock interactions), abiotic (geological confinement, flow paths) and biotic activity influencing geochemical of groundwater along regional pathways. Irrespective of the dissolved element content or the water type, examining the overall concentration of dissolved gases enables an effective delineation of regional groundwater flow paths. Using dissolved gas content further contributed to the circumvention of some analytical challenges associated with conventional isotopic or geochemical techniques, often linked to the high concentration of elements such as iron, sulfate, sulfide or other naturally occurring elements content. The primary objectives are to analyse the gas composition of individual springs, to identify the origin of these gases in the groundwater, and to use this gas composition to improve the understanding of the flow patterns contributing to the geochemical diversity observed at the surface of the groundwater. From field investigations in a geologically and structurally complex area of Eastern Corsica (France), three types of gas contents are identified: (type 1) CH4 & H2S-rich, (type 2) N2-rich and (type 3) CO2-rich. The study of these dissolved gases highlights that the wide geochemical diversity of thermo-mineral waters observed here is not only related to the mineralogical composition of the local aquifer but also involves strong and cumulative interactions along deep regional circulation pathways. This approach also reveals a common deep crustal gaseous influence characterised by N2 production, which interacts during up flow with groundwater and then with the local metamorphic or sedimentary rock matrix. The groundwater’s isotopic and geochemical contents are then altered by local lithologies encountered through both abiotic and biotic interactions. Finally, at shallow depths, phreatic groundwater can add its geochemical and isotopic footprint and dilute this complex mixture before groundwater emerges as mineral spring. This paper answers the primary objectives yet further demonstrates that using dissolved gas as a tracer of groundwater flow paths allows a deeper interpretation of surface geochemical and isotopic observations, distinguishes local from regional flow paths, and provides information about processes at the origin of groundwater diversity. The combination of tools presented in this paper (i.e., geochemical, dissolved gas, and isotopic tools) allows the establishment of a reliable regional groundwater flow scheme for thermo-mineral waters in a non-active zone. This scheme is essential to improve thermo-mineral water management, and protection to ensure their sustainable quality in front of increasing anthropogenic and climatic pressures.
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insu-04481433 , version 1 (28-02-2024)

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Margaux Dupuy, Emilie Garel, Eliot Chatton, Thierry Labasque, Alexandra Mattei, et al.. Using natural gas content of groundwater to improve the understanding of complex thermo-mineral spring systems. Journal of Hydrology, 2024, 634, pp.130956. ⟨10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.130956⟩. ⟨insu-04481433⟩
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