Hydrochemistry of Salt Lakes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Abstract

The authors have carried out scientific investigations of salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since 1956 and collected 550 hydrochemical data from various types of salt lakes. On that basis, combined with the tectonic characteristics of the plateau, the hydrochemical characteristics of the salt lakes of the plateau are discussed. The salinity of the lakes of the plateau is closely related to the natural environment of lake evolution, especially the climatic conditions. According to the available data and interpretation of satellite images, the salinity of the lakes of the plateau has a general trend of decreasing from north and northwest to south and southeast, broadly showing synchronous variations with the annual precipitation and aridity (annual evaporation/annual precipitation) of the modern plateau. The pH values of the plateau salt lakes are related to both hydrochemical types and salinities of the lake waters, i.e., the pH values tend to decrease from the carbonate type → sodium sulfate subtype → magnesium sulfate subtype → chloride type; on the other hand, a negative correlation is observed between the pH and salinities of the lakes. Geoscientists and biological limnologists generally use main ions in salt lakes as the basis for the hydrochemical classification of salt lakes. The common ions in salt lakes are Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻ SO₄ ²⁻, CO₃ ²⁻, and HCO₃ ⁻. In this paper, the Kurnakov-Valyashko classification is used to divide the salt lakes into the chloride type, magnesium sulfate subtype, sodium sulfate subtype and carbonate type, and then according to different total alkalinities (K _C = Na₂CO₃ + NaHCO₃/total salt × 100%) and different saline mineral assemblages, the carbonate type is further divided into three subtypes, namely, strong carbonate subtype, moderate carbonate subtype and weak carbonate subtypes. According to the aforesaid hydrochemical classifications, a complete and meticulous hydrochemical classification of the salt lakes of the plateau has been made and then a clear understanding of the characteristics of N–S hydrochemical zoning and E-W hydrochemical differentiation has been obtained. The plateau is divided into four zones and one area. There is a genetic association between certain saline minerals and specific salt lake hydrochemical types: the representative mineral assemblages of the carbonate type of salt lake is borax (tincalconite) and borax-zabuyelite (L₂CO₃) and alkali carbonate-mirabilite; the representative mineral assemblages of the sodium sulfate subtype are mirabilite (thenardite)-halite and magnesium borate (kurnakovite, inderite etc.)-ulexite-mirabilite; the representative mineral assemblages of the magnesium sulfate subtype are magnesium sulfate (epsomite, bloedite)-halite, magnesium borate-mirabilite, and mirabilite-schoenite-halite, as well as large amount of gypsum; The representative mineral assemblages of the chloride type are carnallite-bischofite-halite and carnallite-halite, with antarcticite in a few individual salt lakes. The above-mentioned salt lake mineral assemblages of various types on the plateau have features of cold-phase assemblages. Mirabilite and its associated cold-phase saline minerals are important indicators for the study of paleoclimate changes of the plateau. A total of 59 elements have been detected in lake waters of the plateau now, of which the concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Cl, and SO₄ ²⁻, CO₃ ²⁻, and HCO₃ ⁻ ions are highest, but, compared with the hydrochemical compositions of other salt lake regions, the plateau salt lakes, especially those in the southern Qiangtang carbonate type subzone (I₂), contain high concentrations of Li, B, K, Cs, and Rb, and there are also As, U, Th, Br, Sr, and Nd positive anomalies in some lakes. In the plateau lake waters, B is intimately associated with Li, Cs, K and Rb and its concentration shows a general positive correlation with increasing salinity of the lake waters. The highest positive anomalies of B, Li, Cs, and K center on the Ngangla Ringco Lake area in the western segment of the southern Qiangtang carbonate type subzone (I₂) and coincide with Miocene volcanic-sedimentary rocks and high-value areas of B, Li, and Cs of the plateau. This strongly demonstrates that special elements such as B, Li, and Cs on the plateau were related to deep sources. Based on recent voluminous geophysical study and geochemical study of volcanic rocks, their origin had close genetic relation to anatectic magmatism resulting from India–Eurasia continent–continent collision, and B–Li (-Ce) salt lakes in the Cordillera Plateau of South America just originated on active continental margins, both of which indicate that global specific tectonically active belts are the main cause for the high abundances of B, Li, and Cs (K and Rb) in natural water and mineralization of these elements.