Understanding fluid behavior through ion and isotope data from the Yitong Basin, Northeast China

Abstract

To evaluate ion origins and fluid behavior, the chemical properties of thermal water sampled from the Eocene reservoir in the Yitong Basin (YB), Northeast China, were investigated. The thermal water samples are classified as Na–HCO3-type water and were fully equilibrated, except for Sijixiangkang (SJXK) and Yitong (YT). The cations originate mainly from water–rock interactions (e.g., albitization and weathering of plagioclase), while the anions originate from magmatic volatiles and leaching of limestone and granite, which were heated by hot magmatic volatiles and exhibited an evaporation-like pattern in the Gibbs diagrams. The existence of magmatic volatiles was verified by the high ion ratio, the minor-element origins, δ13C values of HCO3, and δ34S values of SO4, which flowed upward along lithospheric faults, with higher fluxes in the northeast than in the southwest (the δ13C value of the Chaluhe depression (CD) is 0.93‰ lower than that of the Moliqing depression (MD, 1.63‰)). Furthermore, according to the Br/Cl and HCO3−/Cl ratios and the δ13C values, we speculate that a deep Permian limestone reservoir exists below the granitic unit. Based on the ion origins and fluid potentials, we conclude that the CD and MD are open systems rather than closed systems. The recharged water migrates from the margin to the center in the plane, and in the vertical direction, it migrates from the Yongji (E2y) and Sheling (E2sh) strata to the overlying strata and underlying Shuangyang (E2s) strata along faults. By summarizing all of the available data, we proposed a conceptual model of fluid migration.