Geochemical Mobility of Chemical Elements in Saline Lake Systems in Khakassia (Russia)

Abstract

Saline lakes were sampled from the semi-arid region of the Russian Federation (Khakassia). The water and salt sediment samples were collected from 4 lakes: Khamiskol, Terpikol, Uskol, and Tus. The total dissolved solids (TDS) of the various lakes ranges from 7.9 to 115.6g/l. The pH values lie mostly in the range of 8.3 – 9.9. The anionic composition of saline lakes is varied. The cationic composition of lakes is not so varied as the anionic one. Sodium is the dominant cation in the water composition of these lakes, whereas the Tus Lake contains magnesium and sodium in equal proportions. The chemical element enrichment of water is regulated by the formation of significant quantities of secondary mineral phases. The Khakassia saline lakes are saturated with respect to carbonate minerals such as calcite, dolomite, magnesite, and are undersaturated in terms of natrite, anhydrite, thenardite, and halite. Geochemical mobility coefficients can be used to evaluate the geochemical mobility of major elements in the saline lake waters. Geochemical mobility coefficients suggest that trace elements tend to accumulate in secondary phases, which are consolidated by secondary mineral precipitation and sorption processes.