Trace Element and REE Concentrations in the Thermal Waters , West Coast Geothermal Province , India

Extensive work has been carried out in the past on the major ion and isotope chemistry of the thermal waters along the west coast of Maharashtra. However, trace element and rare earth element (REE) study was never attempted. This is the first time such a project has been taken up with the aim of understanding the evolution and circulation pattern of these thermal springs. The concentration of trace elements viz., B, Ba, Br, Cs, F, Li, Rb, Si, Sr and REE’s in the thermal springs, ground-waters and surface waters have been determined. The thermal waters had temperatures ranging from 42 to 71 °C, pH from 7.7 to 8.8 and total dissolved solids between 337and 2534 ppm. Most of the thermal waters were Na-Ca-Cl type except one which was of Na-Ca-HCO3 type. The thermal waters contained low concentration of some elements such as < 0.1 ppb of Ag and Cd, 1-3 ppb of Cr, Zn, Co, Cu, Pb and Ni, whereas elements like Li (25-177 ppb), B (47 – 374 ppb), Sr (16-5548 ppb), Rb (13-221 ppb), Cs (3-28 ppb) and Ba (32077 ppb) were much higher in concentration. The chondrite normalized pattern for REE’s exhibits a positive Eu anomaly. In the light of the present study, it appears that there could be different sources of rocks playing a part in the evolution of these thermal springs in contrast to the earlier belief that all the springs are issuing through a similar geological set-up of the Deccan Flood Basalts.

[1]  D. Chandrasekharam,et al.  High-heat-producing granites of East Dharwar Craton around Gugi, Karnataka, and their possible influence on the evolution of Rajapur thermal springs, Deccan Volcanic Province, India , 2014, Geothermal Energy.

[2]  A. Stefánsson,et al.  The chemistry of trace elements in surface geothermal waters and steam, Iceland , 2012 .

[3]  D. Rouwet,et al.  Major and trace element geochemistry of neutral and acidic thermal springs at El Chichón volcano, Mexico Implications for monitoring of the volcanic activity , 2008 .

[4]  S. Wood.  Rare earth element systematics of acidic geothermal waters from the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand , 2006 .

[5]  D. Chandrasekharam,et al.  Origin and evolution of ‘intracratonic’ thermal fluids from central-western peninsular India , 2000 .

[6]  S. Wood,et al.  The aqueous geochemistry of the rare earth elements and yttrium. Part 7. REE, Th and U contents in thermal springs associated with the Idaho batholith , 1998 .

[7]  D. Chandrasekharam,et al.  Geochemistry of Rajapur and Puttur Thermal Springs of the West Coast, India , 1997 .

[8]  P. Hooper.  The timing of crustal extension and the eruption of continental flood basalts , 1990, Nature.

[9]  D. Chandrasekharam.  Structure and evolution of the western continental margin of India deduced from gravity, seismic, geomagnetic and geochronological studies * , 1985 .

[10]  R. Goguel.  The rare alkalies in hydrothermal alteration at Wairakei and Broadlands, geothermal fields, N.Z. , 1983 .

[11]  S. Arnórsson,et al.  The chemistry of iron in geothermal systems in iceland , 1982 .

[12]  P. Mathur,et al.  Experimental Water/Rock Interaction Studies on Thermal Waters of the West Coast of Maharashtra, India , 1981 .

[13]  D. Němec.  Barium in K-feldspar megacrysts from granitic and syenitic rocks of the Bohemian Massif , 1975 .

[14]  Arthur M. Piper,et al.  A graphic procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water-analyses , 1944 .

[15]  S. Wood,et al.  THE ANALYSIS OF PICOGRAM QUANTITIES OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN NATURUAL WATERS , 2005 .

[16]  P. Möller.  RARE EARTH ELEMENTS AND YTTRIUM AS GEOCHEMICAL INDICATORS OF THE SOURCE OF MINERAL AND THERMAL WATERS , 2000 .

[17]  D. Chandrasekharam.  GEOTHERMAL ENERGY RESOURCES OF INDIA: COUNTRY UPDATE , 2000 .

[18]  K. Muthuraman.  Sea water - basalt interactions and genesis of the coastal thermal waters of Maharashtra, India , 1986 .