Abstract
Carbonated, alkaline, saline waters occur over a wide area in the
upper Hudson River Valley approaching 1,000 square miles. Through
the sampling (spring and fall) of 39 locations, half of which were
hitherto unsampled, the waters are shown to be a complexly mixed
system with at least five major components.
They are:
1) a gaseous phase consisting primarily of CO2;
2) a fluid (containing the dissolved CO2) possibly analogous to a
metamorphic brine whose major chemistry is HCO3>Na>Cl;
3) formational waters of variably low salinities which may be the
end products of progressive dilution of Paleozoic connate brines
by meteoric waters; major chemistry Cl>Na>HCO3;
4) constituents added by reactions of the carbonated waters with
the wall rocks of the Proterozoic basement and the Paleozoic
aquifer;
5) normal surface ground waters of meteoric origin which
seasonably dilute the deeper carbonated waters while also capping
and "damping" the system.
Several segregated water types comprised largely of components #2,
3, and 5 above can also be recognized.
Through the use of stable isotopes of C, O, and H, the CO2 is
conclusively demonstrated to be of thermal origin. C13/12 values
of -2 to -8 per mil distinguish the carbon to be of juvenile or,
more probably, of mantle origin. This in turn raises new tectonic
questions when conjoined with the structural evidence presented
showing the upper Hudson Valley lowlands to be fault controlled.
The combination of the two imply that the lowlands represent a
proto or embryonic rift system.
Young, J.R., 1980. Saratoga: the bubbles of reputation and their
implications for an embryonic rift system in the upper Hudson
River Valley. Unpublished MSc. thesis, State University of New
York at Albany. 198pp., +xii; +ii appendix; 3 folded plates (maps)
University at Albany Science Library call number: SCIENCE
Oversize (*) QE 146 S27X Y47
thesis (scanned text) -
10.7MB pdf file
Plate 1 - Analytical Data -
Spring 1978 sampling 0.8MB pdf file
Plate 2 - Analytical Data -
Fall 1978 sampling 0.6MB pdf file
Plate 3 - Sampled
wells
and
partial geology of the Saratoga Quadrangle
(uncoloured geologic map;
scale 1:24,000) - 1.3MB pdf file
Plate 4 - Thermal springs and
CO2 wells of the Mid-Hudson Valley (uncoloured
geologic map; scale 1:250,000) - 13.9MB pdf file
Plate 5 - Global seismicity
and CO2 discharges (uncoloured map; mean scale
1:40,000,000) - 1.7MB pdf file
Publications derived from this thesis work:
Young, J.R., and
Putman, G.W., 1978. The puzzle of Saratoga - an old solution
with a new twist. Empire State
Geogram, 14 (2),
17-31.
Young, J.R., and
Putman, G.W., 1979. Stratigraphy, structure, and the mineral
waters of Saratoga Springs - implications for Neogene rifting.
pp. 272-291, in Friedman, G.M. (ed.) Guidebook, 51st N.Y. State
Geol. Assoc. Ann. Mtg. and N.E.I.G.C., 71st Mtg., Rensselaer Poly.
Inst., Troy, N.Y.
Putman, G.W., and
Young, J.R., 1985. The bubbles revisited: the geology and
geochemistry of "Saratoga" mineral waters. Northeastern Geology, 7 (2), 1-25.
Return to MS Theses completed in the Geological Sciences Program, University at Albany