Fate and transport of arsenic and antimony in the El Tatio Geyser Field, Chile

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dc.contributor.advisorBennett, Philip C. (Philip Charles), 1959-
dc.creatorLandrum, Jeffrey Thomas, 1979-
dc.date.accessioned2017-04-18T18:53:14Z
dc.date.available2017-04-18T18:53:14Z
dc.date.issued2007-05
dc.description.abstractEl Tatio Geyser Field (ETGF), northern Chile, hosts widespread geothermal activity, with very high aqueous concentrations of arsenic and antimony, higher than any other known geothermal system. Boiling springs (86°C) discharge circum-neutral pH, Na-Cl type waters with low organic carbon. Net discharge of a stream draining the ETGF basin is approximately 10 cfs. As(III), the dominant As species in discharge waters, rapidly oxidizes to As(V) at an estimated first order rate of 0.35 min-1, determined in the field by first arrival of a tracer. As and Sb concentrations and speciation in hydrothermal waters, deposits, and microbial biomass are evaluated as a product of microbial metabolism, sorption to metal-oxyhydroxides, and co-precipitation. Mechanisms controlling these reactions ( i.e. cooling, evaporation, changes in redox and pH) are evaluated and modeled. Sequential extractions reveal that As, sorbs to Fe and Mn oxy-hydroxide complexes. In contrast, Sb solid phase partitioning is influenced primarily by the co-precipitation of Sb-oxide minerals with siliceous sinter (up to 2% wt. Sb). Diurnal variations occur in spring water chemistry and may cause Sb-rich laminations in siliceous hydrothermal deposits. Microbial energetics calculations and enrichment experiments suggest that microbial activity influences the mobility of As, and probably Sb in the ETGF basin by altering redox speciation and sorption to microbial biomass.en_US
dc.description.departmentEarth and Planetary Sciencesen_US
dc.format.mediumelectronicen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T2H12VD2H
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/46504
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.relation.ispartofUT Electronic Theses and Dissertationsen_US
dc.rightsCopyright © is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works.en_US
dc.rights.restrictionRestricteden_US
dc.subjectEl Tatio Geyser Field (ETGF), Chileen_US
dc.subjectArsenicen_US
dc.subjectAntimonyen_US
dc.titleFate and transport of arsenic and antimony in the El Tatio Geyser Field, Chileen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.genreThesisen_US
thesis.degree.departmentGeological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineGeological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at Austinen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen_US

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