Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Recent carbonate sedimentation and brine evolution in the saline lake basins of the Cariboo Plateau, British Columbia, Canada

  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are more than 100 closed, saline lakes in the semiarid, intermontane plateaus of British Columbia. They range from shallow perennial lakes to ephemeral playas. Most are groundwater-fed and lie within glaciofluvial deposits and till. Some have permanent salts. Where underlain by basalts, sodium carbonate brines predominate. Magnesium sulphate brines occur where catchments lie within Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, metasediments and basic volcanics. A few sodium sulphate brines are also present.

A reconnaissance study of the sediments and mineralogy of 21 lake basins has shown that carbonates, including extensive magnesite and hydromagnesite deposits, and several occurrences of protodolomite, are widely precipitated in lake basins of each brine type. Analyses of stream, spring, ground and lake waters from the Cariboo Plateau region demonstrate that carbonate precipitation probably constitutes the major chemical divide responsible for producing the two dominant types of brine.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allison, I. S. & R. S. Mason, 1947. Sodium salts of Lake County, Oregon. Short Pap. Oregon Dept. Geol. Miner. Ind. 17, 12 pp.

  • Atmospheric Environment Service, 1982. Canadian climate normals 1951–1980: Temperature and precipitation (British Columbia). Environment Canada, Vancouver, 268 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, W. A. G., 1962. Saline lake deposits in Washington. Wash. Div. Geol. Bull. 44, 129 pp

  • Campbell, R. B. & H. W. Tipper, 1971. Geology of the Bonaparte Lake map-area, British Columbia. Mem. Geol. Surv. Can. 363, 100 pp

  • Clague, J. J., 1981. Late Quaternary geology and geochronology of British Columbia. Part 2: Summary and discussion of radiocarbon-dated Quaternary history. Pap. Geol. Surv. Can. 80-35, 41 pp.

  • Cole, L. H., 1913. Gypsum in Canada. Rep. Mines Branch Can. Dept. Mines 245.

  • Cordey, F., N. Mortimer, P. Dewever & J. W. H. Monger, 1987. Significance of Jurassic radiolarians from Cache Creek terrane, British Columbia. Geology 15: 1151–1154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, J. M., 1940. Saline and hydromagnesite deposits of British Columbia. Bull. B.C. Dept. Mines 4, 160 pp

  • DeDeckker, P. & W. M. Last, 1989. Modern non-marine dolomite in evaporitic playas of western Victoria, Australia. Sed. Geol. 64: 223–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drever, J. I., 1988. The geochemistry of natural waters, 2nd Edition. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 448 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eugster, H. P., 1980. Geochemistry of evaporitic lacustrine deposits. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 8: 35–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eugster, H. P. & B. F. Jones, 1979. Behaviour of major solutes during closed-basin brine evolution. Am. J. Sci. 279: 609–631.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eugster, H. P. & L. A. Hardie, 1978. Saline lakes. In: A. Lerman (ed), Lakes: chemistry, geology, physics. Springer, N.Y.: 237–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulton, R. J., 1984. Quaternary glaciation, Canadian Cordillera. In: R. J. Fulton (ed), Quaternary stratigraphy of Canada — A Canadian contribution to I.G.C.P. Project 24. Pap. Geol. Surv. Can. 84-10: 39–47.

  • Goldsmith, J. R. & D.L. Graf, 1958. Relation between lattice constants and composition of the Ca-Mg carbonates. Am. Mineral. 43: 84–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudge, M. F., 1926a. Sodium carbonate in British Columbia. Rep. Mines Branch Can. Dept. Mines 642: 81–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudge, M. F., 1926b. Magnesium sulphate in British Columbia. Rep. Mines Branch Can. Dept. Mines 642: 62–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudge, M. F., 1946. Limestones of Canada: their occurrence and characteristics, Part V: Western Canada. Rep. Mines Branch Can. Dept. Mines 811, 233 pp.

  • Grant, B., 1987. Magnesite, brucite and hydromagnesite occurrences in British Columbia. Open File Rep. B.C. Geol. Surv. Branch 1987-13, 68 pp.

  • Hammer, U. T., 1986. Saline lake ecosystems of the world. Junk, Dordrecht, 616 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardie, L. A., 1984. Evaporites: marine or non-marine? Am. J. Sci. 284: 193–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardie, L. A. & H. P. Eugster, 1970. The evolution of closedbasin brines. Spec. Pap. Mineral. Soc. Am. 3: 273–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardie, L. A., J. P. Smoot & H. P. Eugster, 1978. Saline lakes and their deposits: a sedimentological approach. In: A. Matter & M. E. Tucker (eds), Modern and ancient lake sediments. Blackwell, Oxford: 7–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, S. S., 1964. Landforms of British Columbia. Bull. B.C. Dept. Mines 48, 138 pp

  • Hudec, P. & P. Sonnenfeld, 1980. Comparison of Caribbean solar ponds and inland solar lakes of British Columbia. In: A. Nissenbaum (ed), Hypersaline brines and evaporitic environments. Elsevier, Amsterdam: 101–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, O. P., 1918. Spotted lakes of epsomite in Washington and British Columbia. Am. J. Sci. 46: 638–644.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R. K. & R. Annas, 1978. Vegetation. In: K. W. G. Valentine, P. N. Sprout, T. E. Baker & L. M. Lavkulich (eds), The soil landscapes of British Columbia. Resour. Anal. Branch, Ministry Environ. B.C., Victoria, B.C.: 35–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCammon, J. W., 1958. Limestone deposits in the Ashcroft-Clinton area. Rep. Minister Mines Can. 1958: 90–92.

  • Monger, J. W. H., 1977. Upper Paleozoic rocks of the western Canadian Cordillera and their bearing on Cordilleran evolution. Can. J. Earth Sci. 14: 1832–1859.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monger, J. W. H. & W. J. McMillan, 1984. Bedrock geology of Ashcroft (92 I) area. Open File Rep. Geol. Surv. Can., 980.

  • Nesbitt, H. W., 1974. The study of some mineral-aqueous solution interactions. Ph.D. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (unpublished).

    Google Scholar 

  • Northcote, T. G. & K. J. Hall, 1983. Limnological contrasts and anomalies in two adjacent saline lakes. In: U. T. Hammer (ed), Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. Athalassic (Inland) Saline Lakes, Devel. Hydrobiol. 16, Junk, The Hague: 179–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Northcote, T. G. & T. G. Halsey, 1969. Seasonal changes in the limnology of some meromictic lakes in southern British Columbia. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 21: 1763–1787.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinecke, L., 1920. Mineral deposits between Lillooet and Prince George, British Columbia. Mem. Geol. Surv. Can., 118.

  • Renaut, R. W. & P. R. Long, 1986. Post-glacial travertine deposits of the Clinton area, Interior British Columbia. Prog. Abstr. Joint Annu. Meet. Geol. Assoc. Can., Miner. Assoc. Can. 11: 117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaut, R. W. & P. R. Long, 1987. Freeze-out precipitation of salts in saline lakes — examples from Western Canada. In: G. L. Strathdee, M. O. Klein & L. A. Melis (eds), Crystallization and precipitation. Pergamon, Oxford: 33–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaut, R. W. & P. R. Long, 1989. Sedimentology of the saline lakes of the Cariboo Plateau, Interior British Columbia Canada. Sed. Geol. 64: 239–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scudder, G. G. E., 1969. The fauna of saline lakes on the Fraser Plateau in British Columbia. Verh. Int. Ver. Limnol. 17: 430–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tipper, H. W., 1971. Glacial geomorphology and Pleistocene history of central British Columbia. Geol. Surv. Can. Bull. 196, 89 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Topping, M. S. & G. C. E. Scudder, 1977. Some physical and chemical features of saline lakes in central British Columbia. Syesis 10: 145–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, K. W. G. & A. B. Dawson, 1978. The Interior Plateau. In: K. W. G. Valentine, P. N. Sprout, T. E. Baker & L. M. Lavkulich (eds), The soil landscapes of British Columbia. Resour. Anal. Branch Ministry Environ. B.C., Victoria, B.C.: 121–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine, K. W. G. & A. Schori, 1980. Soils of the Lac La Hache — Clinton area, British Columbia. Rep. B.C. Soil Surv. 25, 118 pp.

  • Wigley, T. M., 1977. WATSPEC: a computer program for determining speciation of aqueous solutions. Tech. Bull. Brit.Geomorphol. Res. Group 20, 48 pp.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, S7N 0W0, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    Robin W. Renaut

Authors
  1. Robin W. Renaut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Renaut, R.W. Recent carbonate sedimentation and brine evolution in the saline lake basins of the Cariboo Plateau, British Columbia, Canada. Hydrobiologia 197, 67–81 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026939

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00026939

Key words

Search

Navigation