GROUND WATER COMPOSITION BY ANALOGUE MODELING OF RAINWATER-SOIL-UNDERSOIL INTERACTION

11th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM2011, www.sgem.org, SGEM2011 Conference Proceedings/ ISSN 1314-2704, June 20-25, 2011, Vol. 3, 397-404 pp

ABSTRACT

The paper describes results from 18 months data collection and analogue modeling of
“rain water – calcrete” interaction. The experiment is based on leaching by natural rain
and snow-melting water of material from different soil and undersoil layers, containing
various amounts of carbonates. It confirmed that rain and snow-melting water,
circulating through the soil, undersoil and the underlying rocks, dissolves calcium rich
minerals. Under dry weather and relatively high temperature the hydrogen carbonate
thus formed is re-deposited in the soil layer or immediately under the organic soil layer
as calcite and other carbonate minerals, forming calcrete deposits. These deposits can be
further dissolved and re-precipitated under the impact of different weather conditions.

Keywords: calcrete, rain-water calcrete interaction, carbonates, soil