Hydrochemical zonation of artesian basins

Abstract

The study of the artesian basins of the USSR in recent years in connection with the widespread drilling of deep wells has been marked by major achievements. In many artesian basins, the basement underlying their sedimentary complex has been uncovered. In the basins of the European part of the Soviet Union and Eastern Siberia it is represented by granites and gneisses; in the basins of Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Western Siberia - by Paleozoic sediments of different age, genesis, composition and various eruptive rocks. For many basins their depth has been established at different points. It often exceeds 1-2, and in some cases even 3 km. For the majority of basins in the European part of the USSR sufficient data have been accumulated to construct the first tentative isohypsum maps of the basement surface. Similar maps can be constructed for the southern part of Western Siberia. The data on the age of rocks composing the basins, their composition, thickness, facies, etc. have been clarified. New data obtained as a result of studying the composition of artesian waters of deep parts of the basins, confirmed and clarified the ideas of Acad. V. I. Vernadsky about the wide distribution of saline waters and brines at depth. At the same time, Soviet scientists developed the doctrine of hydrodynamic and hydrochemical zonality of artesian basins.