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Chemical Evaluation of Water and Gases Collected from Hydrothermal Systems Located in the Central Aleutian Arc, August 2015

Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5043
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205043

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Abstract

Five volcanic-hydrothermal systems in the central Aleutians Islands were sampled for water and gas geochemistry in 2015 to provide baseline data to help predict future volcanic unrest. Some areas had not been sampled in 20–30 years (Makushin volcano, Geyser Bight), and other areas had minimal to no prior sampling (Tana volcano and Fisher Caldera). The chemical and isotopic data of the waters show a wide variety of characteristics typical of hydrothermal settings. Stable isotopic analyses of the waters show no evidence for primary magmatic water, rather that waters have a meteoric origin that is variably influenced by boiling and evaporation processes. The carbon and helium isotopic analyses of gases suggest they contain a primary magmatic component typical of the upper mantle at most locations, and the CO2/S ratios show that these gases have been modified by interactions with groundwater along the flow paths. Some areas demonstrate stable compositions since the last sampling (for example, Akutan hydrothermal areas), with some being remarkably steady over very long periods (for example, Geyser Bight). Other areas show modifications because of either lower amounts of upwelling from hydrothermal sources or lower amounts of magmatic influence on the surface chemistry (for example, Upper Glacial valley of Makushin, an informally named valley leading south of the volcano toward Makushin Bay to the south). Finally, this report highlights that previously unsampled regions in the Aleutian Islands, such as Tana volcano and Fisher Caldera (the latter found to have one of the highest helium isotopic signatures ever measured in the Aleutian Islands), show evidence of ongoing subsurface magmatism that warrants continued investigation in terms of volcanic hazard.

Suggested Citation

Werner, C., Kern, C., and Kelly, P. K., 2020, Chemical evaluation of water and gases collected from hydrothermal systems located in the central Aleutian arc, August 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5043, 35 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205043.

ISSN: 2328-0328 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Makushin Volcano
  • Akutan Volcano
  • Tana Volcano
  • Fisher Caldera
  • Geyser Bight Hydrothermal Area
  • Conclusions
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Chemical evaluation of water and gases collected from hydrothermal systems located in the central Aleutian arc, August 2015
Series title Scientific Investigations Report
Series number 2020-5043
DOI 10.3133/sir20205043
Year Published 2020
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Volcano Science Center
Description Report: viii, 35 p.; 2 Tables
Country United States
State Alaska
Other Geospatial Aleutian Islands
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details