The geochemistry and isotope hydrology of the Southern Mexicali Valley in the area of the Cerro Prieto, Baja California (Mexico) geothermal field

Groundwaters from the phreatic aquifer within and surrounding of the Cerro Prieto geothermal field were analyzed geochemically and isotopically in order to establish a hydrodynamic model of the study zone, which is located in the Mexicali Valley between 655,000–685,000 m E–W and 3,605,000–3,576,000 m N–S relative to UTM coordinates. Based on their chemical composition three types of water were recognized: chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate. However four groups of water were identified on a statistical multi-variable method of cluster analysis (A–D). The average temperature is 25 °C; with a few exceptions in the south where temperature can be as high as 47 °C. Stable isotope ratios for some waters plot close to the world meteoric line, corresponding to the original unaltered waters of the zone. The hydrogeochemistry varies in relation to three principal processes: evaporation, infiltration of water used in agriculture and rock interaction by reaction with evaporitic deposits. Major quartz, calcite and plagioclase and minor smectite, kaolinite, halite, sylvite and gypsum were identified by X-ray diffraction in lacustrine sediments of the central part of the zone. Chemical modeling indicates saturation with respect to calcite and undersaturation with respect to gypsum. By incorporating chemical and isotope data into geological and isopotential well information, a hydrodynamic model has been postulated. In this hydrodynamic model the water (A) enters the study zone from the east and it is originally of the old Colorado River water. The water samples on which the model is based were draw from agricultural wells that intersected two aquifers, a shallow and a deep one, representing the recharge to the zone. The salinity of the deep aquifer water (B) is lower than that of the shallow aquifer water (C) and so is the stable isotope ratio. The difference is though to be due to dissolution of evaporates, evaporation and possible infiltration of spent agriculture water. Both waters then pass through lacustrine sediments and gain in salinity and become isotopically heavier mainly by evaporation in a stagnate flow. They eventually emerge as a saline water (D) in the central part of the study zone. This saline water is the one that mixes with thermal fluid discharges from the geothermal reservoir in the south.