The origin of thermal waters in the northeastern part of the Eger Rift, Czech Republic

Abstract

An investigation of the thermal waters in the Ústí nad Labem area in the northeastern part of the Eger Rift has been carried out, with the principal objective of determining their origin. Waters from geothermal reservoirs in the aquifers of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (BCB) from depths of 240 to 616 m are exploited here. For comparison, thermal waters of the adjacent Teplice Spa area were also incorporated into the study. Results based on water chemistry and isotopes indicate mixing of groundwater from aquifers of the BCB with groundwater derived from underlying crystalline rocks of the Erzgebirge Mts. Unlike thermal waters in Děčín, which are of Ca–HCO3 type, there are two types of thermal waters in Ústí nad Labem, Na–HCO3–Cl–SO4 type with high TDS values and Na–Ca–HCO3–SO4 type with low TDS values. Carbon isotope data, speciation calculations, and inverse geochemical modeling suggest a significant input of endogenous CO2 at Ústí nad Labem in the case of high TDS groundwaters. Besides CO2 input, both silicate dissolution and cation exchange coupled with dissolution of carbonates may explain the origin of high TDS thermal waters equally well. This is a consequence of similar δ13C and 14C values in endogenous CO2 and carbonates (both sources have 14C of 0 pmc, endogenous CO2 δ13C around −3‰, carbonates in the range from −5‰ to +3‰ V-PDB). The source of Cl− seems to be relict brine formed in Tertiary lakes, which infiltrated into the deep rift zone and is being flushed out. The difference between high and low TDS groundwaters in Ústí nad Labem is caused by location of the high mineralization groundwater wells in CO2 emanation centers linked to channel-like conduits. This results in high dissolution rates of minerals and in different δ13C(DIC) and 14C(DIC) fingerprints. A combined δ34S and δ18O study of dissolved SO4 indicates multiple SO4 sources, involving SO4 from relict brines and oxidation of H2S. The study clearly demonstrates potential problems encountered at sites with multiple sources of C, where several evolutionary groundwater scenarios are possible.