Ground-water, large-lake interactions in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron: A geochemical and isotopic approach

Kolak, Jonathan J.; Long, David T.; Matty, Jane M.; Larson, Grahame J.; Sibley, Duncan F.; Councell, Terry B.

doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1999)111<0177:gwllii>2.3.co;2

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Subglacial recharge at the northern basin margin also caused brine upwelling in the central basin; this may be an artifact of the no flow boundary we imposed on the left‐hand side of the model. However, this may also be a realistic hydrologic phenomenon, as there is geochemical evidence of upward vertical brine migration and discharge in the central basin (Kolak et al. 1999; Ma et al.…”

Section: Results Of Model Simulations and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several researchers have also reported glacial recharge and flushing of brines in the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian age sandstone aquifers, overlying the Upper Devonian Antrim Shale, in the central Michigan Basin. Kolak et al. (1999) detected dilute formation waters (Cl as low as 600 mg l −1 ) with anomalously low δ 18 O values (−18.5‰) at depth in the Saginaw Formation; they concluded melting of the Port Huron lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet drove subglacial meltwaters into basinal aquifers, reversing current hydrologic gradients.…”

Section: Evidence For Glacial Recharge Into Michigan Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Saginaw Bay lowlands) and eventually to the Great Lakes (Vugrinovich 1986). The presence of Late Pleistocene age waters in low permeability glacial tills and underlying confined aquifers (Kolak et al. 1999; McIntosh & Walter 2006) suggests that modern groundwater circulation is relatively shallow and does not physically interact with the deeper older saline formation waters.…”

Section: Hydrogeology Of Michigan Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Pleistocene glaciation on large-scale groundwater flow and salinity in the Michigan Basin

2010

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Pleistocene melting of kilometer-thick continental ice sheets significantly impacted regional-scale groundwater flow in the low-lying stable interiors of the North American and Eurasian cratons. Glacial meltwaters penetrated hundreds of meters into the underlying sedimentary basins and fractured crystalline bedrock, disrupting relatively stagnant saline fluids and creating a strong disequilibrium pattern in fluid salinity. To constrain the impact of continental glaciation on variable density fluid flow, heat and solute transport in the Michigan Basin, we constructed a transient two-dimensional finite-element model of the northern half of the basin and imposed modern versus Pleistocene recharge conditions. The sag-type basin contains up to approximately 5 km of Paleozoic strata (carbonates, siliciclastics, and bedded evaporites) overlain by a thick veneer (up to 300 m) of glacial deposits. Formation water salinity increases exponentially from <0.5 g l )1 total dissolved solids (TDS) near the surface to >350 g l )1 TDS at over 800 m depth. Model simulations show that modern groundwater flow is primarily restricted to shallow glacial drift aquifers with discharge to the Great Lakes. During the Pleistocene, however, high hydraulic heads from melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet reversed regional flow patterns and focused recharge into Paleozoic carbonate and siliciclastic aquifers. Dilute waters (<20 g l )1 TDS) migrated approximately 110 km laterally into the Devonian carbonate aquifers, significantly depressing the freshwater-saline water mixing zones. These results are consistent with 14 C ages and oxygen isotope values of confined groundwaters in Devonian carbonates along the basin margin, which reflect past recharge beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet (14-50 ka). Constraining the paleohydrology of glaciated sedimentary basins, such as the Michigan Basin, is important for determining the source and residence times of groundwater resources, in addition to resolving geologic forces responsible for basinal-scale fluid and solute migration.

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Section: Results Of Model Simulations and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evidence For Glacial Recharge Into Michigan Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydrogeology Of Michigan Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Pleistocene glaciation on large-scale groundwater flow and salinity in the Michigan Basin

2010

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“…Meltwater mixed with saline fluids at depth in the Saginaw Formation (Pennsylvanian age). The 18 O‐ and 2 H‐depleted brines ( δ 18 O values as low as −18.5‰ and Cl > 600 mg/L TDS) are now refluxing into the Saginaw Bay lowlands and Lake Huron [ Kolak et al , 1999]. Pleistocene‐age waters (up to ∼17 ka B.P.)…”

Section: Evidence Of Ice Sheet–aquifer Interactions From Intracratonimentioning

confidence: 99%

Pleistocene hydrology of North America: The role of ice sheets in reorganizing groundwater flow systems

Person

McIntosh

Bense

et al. 2007

Reviews of Geophysics

147

162

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[1] While the geomorphic consequences of Pleistocene megafloods have been known for some time, it has been only in the past 2 decades that hydrogeologists and glaciologists alike have begun to appreciate the important impact that ice sheet -aquifer interactions have had in controlling subsurface flow patterns, recharge rates, and the distribution of fresh water in confined aquifer systems across North America. In this paper, we document the numerous lines of geochemical, isotopic, and geomechanical evidence of ice sheet hydrogeology across North America. We also review the mechanical, thermal, and hydrologic processes that control subsurface fluid migration beneath ice sheets. Finite element models of subsurface fluid flow, permafrost formation, and ice sheet loading are presented to investigate the coupled nature of transport processes during glaciation/ deglaciation. These indicate that recharge rates as high as 10 times modern values occurred as the Laurentide Ice Sheet overran the margins of sedimentary basins. The effects of ice sheet loading and permafrost formation result in complex transient flow patterns within aquifers and confining units alike. Using geochemical and environmental isotopic data, we estimate that the volume of glacial meltwater emplaced at the margins of sedimentary basins overrun by the Laurentide Ice Sheet totals about 3.7 Â 10 4 km 3 , which is about 0.2% of the volume of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Subglacial infiltration estimates based on continental-scale hydrologic models are even higher (5 -10% of meltwater generated). These studies in sum call into question the widely held notion that groundwater flow patterns within confined aquifer systems are controlled primarily by the water table configuration during the Pleistocene. Rather, groundwater flow patterns were likely much more complex and transient in nature than has previously been thought. Because Pleistocene recharge rates are believed to be highly variable, these studies have profound implications for water resource managers charged with determining sustainable pumping rates from confined aquifers that host ice sheet meltwater.

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“…Long et al () studied groundwater in the glacial and bedrock aquifers of the Saginaw Lowlands and found increasing Cl − concentrations with increasing depth, as well as evidence of mixing between modern day, meteoric water and water that is much older. Analysis of pore water from the Saginaw Lowlands yielded strong vertical gradients in Cl − concentrations and chloride:bromide ratios indicative of brine as the source for the chloride (Kolak et al ). Steep gradients in Cl − concentrations with depth and evidence of brine‐influenced groundwater were also observed along the basin margins in southwestern Ontario (Weaver et al ) and in the formation waters of the Antrim Shale unit (McIntosh et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data‐Driven Approach for Analyzing Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality Across Multiple Scales

Curtis

Li²,

Liao

et al. 2017

Groundwater

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Recent trends of assimilating water well records into statewide databases provide a new opportunity for evaluating spatial dynamics of groundwater quality and quantity. However, these datasets are scarcely rigorously analyzed to address larger scientific problems because they are of lower quality and massive. We develop an approach for utilizing well databases to analyze physical and geochemical aspects of groundwater systems, and apply it to a multiscale investigation of the sources and dynamics of chloride (Cl ) in the near-surface groundwater of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Nearly 500,000 static water levels (SWLs) were critically evaluated, extracted, and analyzed to delineate long-term, average groundwater flow patterns using a nonstationary kriging technique at the basin-scale (i.e., across the entire peninsula). Two regions identified as major basin-scale discharge zones-the Michigan and Saginaw Lowlands-were further analyzed with regional- and local-scale SWL models. Groundwater valleys ("discharge" zones) and mounds ("recharge" zones) were identified for all models, and the proportions of wells with elevated Cl concentrations in each zone were calculated, visualized, and compared. Concentrations in discharge zones, where groundwater is expected to flow primarily upwards, are consistently and significantly higher than those in recharge zones. A synoptic sampling campaign in the Michigan Lowlands revealed concentrations generally increase with depth, a trend noted in previous studies of the Saginaw Lowlands. These strong, consistent SWL and Cl distribution patterns across multiple scales suggest that a deep source (i.e., Michigan brines) is the primary cause for the elevated chloride concentrations observed in discharge areas across the peninsula.

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Ground-water, large-lake interactions in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron: A geochemical and isotopic approach

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Impacts of Pleistocene glaciation on large-scale groundwater flow and salinity in the Michigan Basin

Impacts of Pleistocene glaciation on large-scale groundwater flow and salinity in the Michigan Basin

Pleistocene hydrology of North America: The role of ice sheets in reorganizing groundwater flow systems

Data‐Driven Approach for Analyzing Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality Across Multiple Scales

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