Comparison of stable isotopes, ratios of 36Cl/Cl and 129I/127I in brine and deep groundwater from the Pacific coastal region and the eastern margin of the Japan Sea

Fifty-three samples, including brines associated with oil and natural gas reservoirs and groundwater samples from deep boreholes, were collected from the Pacific and Japan Sea coastal regions in Japan. The 129I/127I and 36Cl/Cl ratios, and stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) are compared to investigate differences related to the geotectonic settings of the two regions. The δD and δ18O data indicate that brine and groundwater from the Pacific coastal region reflect mixing of meteoric water with connate seawater in the pores of sedimentary rocks. On the other hand, brine and groundwater from the Japan Sea coastal region have been hydrothermally altered. In particular, brines associated with petroleum accumulations at Niigata and Akita showed the same isotopic characteristics as fluids found in the Kuroko deposits of the Green Tuff region in northeastern Japan. There is little difference in the 36Cl/Cl ratios in brine and groundwater from the Pacific and Japan Sea coasts. Most brine and some deep groundwater, except those from the Pleistocene Kazusa Group, have already reached the average secular equilibrium ratio of 9.9 ± 2.7 × 10−15 for their mudstone and sandstone reservoirs. There was no correlation between the 36Cl/Cl ratios and differences in geotectonic setting between the Pacific and the Japan Sea coast. The molar I/Br ratio suggests that the I in all of water samples was of biogenic origin. The average 129I/127I ratio was 290 ± 130 × 10−15 to 294 ± 105 × 10−15 in both regions, showing no relationship to the different geotectonic settings. The uncontaminated brine and groundwater samples are likely to have retained the original 129I/127I ratios of marine I released from the old organic matter stored in sedimentary rock.