PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND DISTRIBUTIONAL ASPECTS OF CANADIAN SPRINGS

• Published in: Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada
• Main Author: van Everdingen, Robert O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1991
• Subjects: Northwest Territories; Yukon
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4039/entm123155007-1; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0071075X00003684

Abstract Springs, or points of natural, concentrated groundwater discharge, may be located in river or lake beds, or below mean sea level along the coast, but many are found some distance from surface-water bodies. Spring water commonly represents rain or snow-melt that has entered the ground at a higher elevation a number of years earlier.Measured springwater temperatures in Canada range from very cold (−2.9 °C) to hot (82.2 °C). Thermal spring waters, with temperatures above the local mean-annual air temperature, have undergone geothermal heating during deep subsurface circulation in areas of high topographic relief. Hot springs (>37 °C) are therefore found only in mountainous areas, in Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Spring locations are commonly controlled by major folding or faulting, or both, in the bedrock strata.Reported pH values in Canadian spring waters range from strongly acidic to alkaline (2.8 to >10.0). Low pH values (<4.0) are associated with high contents of dissolved Fe (up to 2600 mg·L −1 ) and other heavy metals (e.g. Zn up to 177 mg·L −1 ), resulting from the oxidation of metal sulfides. Measured redox potentials (Eh) range from −252 to +683 mV. Negative Eh values are found in spring waters that contain dissolved H 2 S and S 2− , produced by bacterial reduction of dissolved sulfate.Total-dissolved-solids contents of Canadian spring waters are reported to range from as little as 32 to over 75 000 mg·L −1 . Chemical composition also varies widely. Major anions include bicarbonate (up to 5960 mg·L −1 ), sulfate (up to 17 520 mg·L −1 ), and chloride (up to 44 300 mg·L −1 ). Major cations include calcium (up to 1823 mg·L −1 ), magnesium (up to 1190 mg·L −1 ), sodium (up to 27 100 mg·L −1 , and potassium (up to 1568 mg·L −1 ). The chemical composition of each spring water reflects the mineral composition of the rock types with which the water has been in contact, as well as its subsurface residence time. In simplified terms, Ca–Mg/HCO 3 waters come from ...