Abstract
This study presents the first regional hydrogeochemical portrait of the mineral waters and associated gases of the Central Asia region, shaped by the Tien Shan and the Pamir. A geochemical survey of more than 50 fluid discharges from the Northern Tien Shan to the Pamir was carried out between 2018 and 2019. Isotopic (δD, δ18O, d15N2, d13CCO2, d13CCH4) and chemical data allow elucidating fluid genesis and general evolution in the continental collision zone. Geothermometric estimations as well as the content of the chemical components in waters (Cl, Li, B, Br) and gases (N2, CO2) suggest that the studied waters are not related to the presence of any active hydrothermal systems at shallow depth. Silica and cation geothermometers along with thermodynamic equilibrium calculations indicate that the temperature of unmixed deep fluids does not exceed 110 to 150 °C. The determination of d15N2 and d13CCO2 has revealed that the mantle genesis of gas flux matches with the areas of CO2-rich waters manifestations. The dislocation of mineral and thermal waters of Central Asia along the major regional tectonic structures is provided by topographically driven and well-developed long circulation of waters at the depth of 1 to 4 km.
Highlights
There are about 20 thermal and cold mineral manifestations in the Pamir (Tadjikistan) [1,2] and more than 70 in the Tien Shan (Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, and Tadjikistan) [2–4]
Even though the Tien Shan–Pamir thermal water manifestations are connected with key questions regarding the active intra-continental orogeny and subduction zone outside the Himalayas, they remain surprisingly poorly represented in English-language publications [11,12,16–18]
The chemistry and isotopy of the 30 thermal waters, 16 cold mineral waters, and associated gases discharging in the Tien Shan (Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Tajikistan) and the Pamir (Tajikistan) were presented and discussed
Summary
There are about 20 thermal and cold mineral manifestations in the Pamir (Tadjikistan) [1,2] and more than 70 in the Tien Shan (Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, and Tadjikistan) [2–4]. The mineral waters of these areas have been known to local people for a long time, but significant regional investigations were carried out in the twentieth century [3–9]. Many of these works do not contain results of chemical analyses that can be used to perform geochemical calculations. The present study describes the geochemistry of the main thermal and cold fluid manifestations located across the structures of Pamir (Tadzhikistan)
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