Strontium isotopic ratio in brines from the north-east of the Angara-Lenskiy artesian basin

Abstract

The Sr isotopic composition was measured in a number of samples of highly concentrated oil-field brines from the Angara-Lenskiy artesian basin. The brines are contained in the salt-bearing and subsalt-bearing hydrogeological formations at a depth of 1,500-3,000 m. They have high salinity (385-530 g/L) and high Sr content (2.3-7.0 mg/L). The Sr/Sr ratio ranges from 0.70800 to 0.713062. Most brine samples exhibit an isotopic composition similar to Vendian-Cambrian paleoocean water, however several samples from the Yaraktinskiy horizon are significantly more radiogenic than others. It suggests that a considerable amount of Sr is likely to have been carried from terrigenous sediments due to a water-rock interaction.