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Oxygen isotope fractionation between amorphous silica and water at 34–93°C

Nature volume 314, pages 83–84 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

The fractionation factor of oxygen isotopes between quartz and water has been extensively studied from experimental1,2, theoretical3,4,5 and empirical viewpoints6 and has been widely used to estimate the isotopic composition or the temperatures of water relating to various geological processes. At lower temperatures, where hydrothermal processes, diagenesis and other processes take place, however, the fractionation factor for quartz as well as other silica minerals has not been studied thoroughly. We report here experimentally determined oxygen isotope fractionation factors between amorphous silica and water at 34–93°C, obtained by measuring the oxygen isotope ratios of amorphous silica precipitated from geothermal waters of power plants. The relationship between the fractionation factor and temperature is similar to the extrapolated relationship of quartz observed at higher temperatures. This result is useful for the oxygen isotope study of water–rock interactions at temperatures below 200°C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Underground Resources, Mining College, Akita University, Tegata Gakuen-cho, Akita, 010, Japan

    Itsuro Kita & Osamu Matsubaya

  2. Research Institute of Industrial Science, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816, Japan

    Sachihiro Taguchi

Authors
  1. Itsuro Kita
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  2. Sachihiro Taguchi
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  3. Osamu Matsubaya
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Kita, I., Taguchi, S. & Matsubaya, O. Oxygen isotope fractionation between amorphous silica and water at 34–93°C. Nature 314, 83–84 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/314083a0

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