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The Composition of Groundwater in the Continental Crystalline Crust

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Hydrogeology of Crystalline Rocks

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 34))

Abstract

The composition of water stored in the crystalline rocks (basement) of the upper continental crust has in general four components: i) a surface water component derived from rain, snow and other precipitation, ii) a seawater component derived from modern or fossil seawater, iii) an imported component from ongoing magmatic or metamorphic reactions elsewhere in the crust, and iv) a contribution from the reactions between water and the local rock matrix.

Continental crust consists predominantly of granitic and gneissic rocks and water found in the crust reflects the granitic mineralogy of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz and mica (± hornblende). Less abundant minerals can be important for deviations from “normal granite water” and also for trace element patterns of groundwater in the basement.

Water is found in cavities, fractures and other water conducting features forming an interconnected pore space that allows for flow and mixing. Flow velocities rapidly decrease with depth and stagnant, density stratified water dominates large areas of the continental basement.

Dissolution rates are very slow for all major rock forming minerals of the granitic basement at the temperatures prevailing in the upper few km of the crust. Water never reaches equilibrium with any of the “granite minerals” with the exception of quartz which rapidly reaches saturation as a result of feldspar and mica dissolution. Dissolution of plagioclase and biotite and precipitation of related secondary minerals as coatings on fracture surfaces control the composition of groundwater in the basement.

Feldspar and mica hydrolysis tends to consume acidity and increases the pH. All basement waters world wide are typically low to moderate pH waters even in brines with very high TDS. This suggests that a mechanism of dessication is primarly responsible for the high concentration of solutes in deep groundwater of the crust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Freiburg, Albertstr. 23b, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Kurt Bucher

  2. Geological Survey of Baden-Württemberg, Albertstr. 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Ingrid Stober

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  1. Kurt Bucher
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hydrogeology, Geological Survey Baden-Württemberg, Freiburg, Germany

    Ingrid Stober

  2. Institute of Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Kurt Bucher

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Bucher, K., Stober, I. (2000). The Composition of Groundwater in the Continental Crystalline Crust. In: Stober, I., Bucher, K. (eds) Hydrogeology of Crystalline Rocks. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 34. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1816-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1816-5_7

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