Geochemical inverse modeling of chemical and isotopic data from groundwaters in Sahara (Ouargla basin, Algeria)
Abstract. New samples were collected in the three major Saharan aquifers namely, the “Continental Intercalaire” (CI), the “Complexe Terminal” (CT) and the Phreatic aquifer (Phr) and completed with unpublished more ancient chemical and isotopic data. Instead of classical Debye-Hückel extended law, Specific Interaction Theory (SIT) model, recently incorporated in Phreeqc 3.0 was used. Inverse modeling of hydro chemical data constrained by isotopic data was used here to quantitatively assess the influence of geochemical processes: at depth, the dissolution of salts from the geological formations during upward leakage without evaporation explains the tran sitions from CI to CT and to a first pole of Phr (pole I); near the surface, the dissolution of salts from sebkhas by rainwater explains another pole of Phr (pole II). In every case, secondary precipitation of calcite occurs during dissolution. All Phr waters result from the mixing of these two poles together with calcite precipitation and ion exchange processes. These processes are quantitatively assessed by Phreeqc model. Globally, gypsum dissolution and calcite precipitation were found to act as a carbon sink.