Secular variation in seawater chemistry and the origin of calcium chloride basinal brines

Research Article| October 01, 2003 Secular variation in seawater chemistry and the origin of calcium chloride basinal brines Tim K. Lowenstein; Tim K. Lowenstein 1Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lawrence A. Hardie; Lawrence A. Hardie 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael N. Timofeeff; Michael N. Timofeeff 3Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Robert V. Demicco Robert V. Demicco 3Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Tim K. Lowenstein 1Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Lawrence A. Hardie 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA Michael N. Timofeeff 3Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Robert V. Demicco 3Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, State University of New York, Binghamton, New York 13902, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 08 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 25 Jun 2003 Accepted: 29 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2003) 31 (10): 857–860. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19728R.1 Article history Received: 08 Apr 2003 Revision Received: 25 Jun 2003 Accepted: 29 Jun 2003 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Tim K. Lowenstein, Lawrence A. Hardie, Michael N. Timofeeff, Robert V. Demicco; Secular variation in seawater chemistry and the origin of calcium chloride basinal brines. Geology 2003;; 31 (10): 857–860. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19728R.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract CaCl2 basinal brines, which are present in most Phanerozoic sedimentary basins, inherited their chemistries and salinities from evaporated paleoseawaters when the world oceans were Ca rich and SO4 poor (CaCl2 seas). CaCl2 seas coincided with periods of rapid seafloor spreading, high influxes of mid-ocean-ridge brines rich in CaCl2, and elevated sea levels, conditions that favored accumulation of marine CaCl2 brines in marginal and interior continental basins. Typical basinal brines in Silurian–Devonian formations of the interior Illinois basin, United States, show the same compositional trends as those of progressively evaporated CaCl2-rich Silurian seawater. Chemical deviations can be accounted for quantitatively by brine-rock reactions during burial (dolomitization, dolomite and K-feldspar cement). This explanation for the origin of CaCl2 basinal brines contrasts with others that assume constancy of seawater chemistry and involve more complex brine-rock interactions. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.