Strontium concentrations in saline lake waters in the Dry Valleys region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Towako Miyoshi, Masayuki Imahashi, Tetsuya Torii
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: National Institute of Polar Research 1988
• Subjects: Geography (General); G1-922; Bonney; Fryxell; Labyrinth; Lake Bonney; Lake Fryxell; Lake Vanda; Ross Sea; Saline Lake; Vanda; Victoria Land; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15094/00008584; https://doaj.org/article/e23d43c3926c4d2092b142c79a2c1696

The Sr concentrations of saline lake waters collected from the Dry Valleys region of Victoria Land were determined and the Sr/Ca ratios were evaluated. These waters have various Sr/Ca ratios ranging from 0.0 to 4.56×(10)^<-2>. It was observed that the Sr/Ca ratios of inland lake waters were smaller than those of the lakes near the Ross Sea. On the basis of the Sr/Ca ratios the origin of lake waters in the Dry Valleys region is summarized as follows : 1) The water in Lake Fryxell was originated from evaporated seawater under frigid conditions, because the Sr/Ca ratio of the water, about 3 to 4×(10)^<-2>, is similar to that of evaporated seawater from which halite is deposited. This water may have been formed by mixing of the evaporated seawater with glacial meltwater. It is likely that the water in Lake Bonney was also formed in a similar manner to that of Lake Fryxell. 2) The water in Lake Vanda was originated from glacial meltwater containing dissolved marine evaporites. The evaporites such as calcite and gypsum in the valley may have been formed under frigid conditions as delineated by T. G. THOMPSON and K. H. NELSON (Am. J. Sci., 254,227,1956). 3) The water in the Labyrinth area was probably originated from the dissolution of air-borne salts by glacial meltwater and snowfall and the waters drived from fresh water-basalt interactions.