Abstract
In the Lower Yarmouk Gorge the chemical composition of regional, fresh to brackish, mostly thermal groundwater reveals a zonation in respect to salinization and geochemical evolution, which is seemingly controlled by the Lower Yarmouk fault (LYF) but does not strictly follow the morphological Yarmouk Gorge. South of LYF, the artesian Mukeihbeh well field region produces in its central segment groundwaters, an almost pure basaltic-rock type with a low contribution (<0.3 vol-%) of Tertiary brine, hosted in deep Cretaceous and Jurassic formations. Further distal, the contribution of limestone water increases, originating from the Ajloun Mountains in the South. North of the LYF, the Mezar wells, the springs of Hammat Gader and Ain Himma produce dominantly limestone water, which contains 0.14–3 vol-% of the Tertiary brine, and hence possesses variable salinity. The total dissolved equivalents, TDE, of solutes gained by water/rock interaction (WRI) and mixing with brine, TDEWRI+brine, amount to 10–70% of total salinity in the region comprising the Mukheibeh field, Ain Himma and Mezar 3 well; 55–70% in the springs of Hammat Gader; and 80–90% in wells Mezar 1 and 2. The type of salinization indicates that the Lower Yarmouk fault seemingly acts as the divide between the Ajloun and the Golan Heights-dominated groundwaters.
Highlights
This study aims at the identification and quantification of sources of salinization in different geological formations in the well field region of the Lower Yarmouk Gorge (LYG) shared by Israel, Jordan and Syria (Figure 1)
Waters from Hammat Gader and Mezar/Himma seem to represent dilution lines with different saline end members and the assumed basaltic rock and limestone water both plotting near the Mukheibeh cluster
The Mukheibeh waters show enhanced Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations compared with the basaltic rock water and limestone water
Summary
This study aims at the identification and quantification of sources of salinization in different geological formations in the well field region of the Lower Yarmouk Gorge (LYG) shared by Israel, Jordan and Syria (Figure 1). The productive water resource in the LYG is vitally important for Jordan and Israel because of water shortage in both countries [1]. Like elsewhere in all semi-arid regions in the world, the ground and surface-water resources are over-exploited, leading to water shortages due to increasing demand and to consequences of climate change [2]. In such regions, water supply is a serious socio-economic and political issue, if transboundary flow is involved. In areas with transboundary water resources, rules of equitability and no-harm have to be obeyed in order to prevent political interference [4]
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