HYDROCHEMISTRY OF DRIP WATERS IN AN INTERGRANULAR FLOW CARBONATE AQUIFER: TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

摘要

The hydrology of the vadose zone in carbonate aquifers is critical in determining both the total effective recharge and its timing, and the susceptibility of groundwater to pollution. The former is particularly important in seasonally dry areas where potential evaporation is greater than total rainfall, as is the case for many low latitude carbonate islands. The geochemistry of carbonate groundwater sampled in cave drips can provide important information on the nature of vadose zone processes. However, the majority of previous studies of cave drip waters have been undertaken in diagenetically mature carbonates with low primary porosity where flow occurs predominantly through karstic fissures and fractures. In this study, we report on the geochemistry of cave drip waters from a cave in the Turks and Caicos Islands developed in Pleistocene grainstone with high intergranular porosity.