Abstract
The origin of the warm groundwater which feeds Lake Mývatn is unknown, but it has been affected by volcanic episodes as well as geothermal activity and utilisation. In this contribution stable isotopes of hydrogen (2H), oxygen (18O), sulphur (34S), chlorine (37Cl) and strontium (86Sr and 87Sr) in 20 groundwater and effluent samples from the Lake Mývatn area are used to constrain the origin of the warm groundwater. The results suggest that the warm groundwater is partly formed by mixing with geothermal effluent water and partly by mixing with geothermal steam.
Highlights
In this contribution stable isotopes of hydrogen (2H), oxygen (18O), sulphur (34S), chlorine (37Cl) and strontium (86Sr and 87Sr) in 20 groundwater and effluent samples from the Lake Mývatn area are used to constrain the origin of the warm groundwater
The results suggest that the warm groundwater is partly formed by mixing with geothermal effluent water and partly by mixing with geothermal steam
The exact origin of the warm groundwater is unclear, but it is certainly related to the two geothermal areas in the vicinity; Krafla and Bjarnarflag, both of which have been exploited for power production for decades
Summary
Several attempts have been made to trace the origin of the warm groundwater, both by injecting tracer compounds [3] and by studying the water composition [2, 4]. In this contribution, water samples from 20 of the annual monitoring sites for groundwater in the Mývatn area were analysed for stable isotopes, namely 2H (D), 18O, 34S, 37Cl and 87/86Sr. The concentrations of all major components and several trace components were determined, as part of the regular monitoring
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