CHARACTERIZATION AND ISOTOPIC VARIATIONS IN NATURAL WATERS.

Abstract

This chapter defines the characterizes isotopically the principal types of waters found on Earth and their variations with time. Although it focuses on high temperature environments, waters of low temperature origin are also discussed. Over the past 25 years, stable isotope measurements have demonstrated that interactions between hot rocks and meteoric waters are very widespread and significantly processes in the crust of the Earth. Evidence for the participation of meteoric waters in a fossil hydrothermal system requires knowledge of the compositions of meteoric waters at that locality. Among several things, this requires an understanding of the factors that determine the composition of present-day meteoric waters.