Geochemical Genesis of Arsenic in the Geothermal Waters from the Rehai Hydrothermal System, Southwestern China

Abstract

The geothermal waters from the Rehai magmatic hydrothermal system, located in the Tengchong volcanic region, south-western China, are characterized by diversified hydrochemical types and a wide range of pH values. The neutral hot springs in Rehai generally have much higher arsenic concentrations than the acid hot springs. Further inspection shows that the acid, sulfate-rich springs are essentially locally-perched groundwaters heated by H2S-rich steam separated from deep geothermal fluid. Hence, the dissolution of near-surface rocks at moderate temperatures is the sole source of arsenic in the steam-heated acid springs. In comparison, the arsenic in the neutral hot springs, which represent the deep-circulating geothermal fluids, comes from long-term water-rock interactions at much higher reservoir temperatures. Moreover, the possibility that magmatic fluid is a potential arsenic source for the neutral springs in Rehai cannot be ruled out.