The use of δ18O as an indicator of vanadium movement in a dormant stratovolcano region |
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Authors: | Mst Shamsun Nahar |
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Institution: | Department of Environmental Analysis, Earth Consultant Co. Ltd., Imizu, Japan |
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Abstract: | The oxygen isotope (δ18O) stable water tracer can be a promising new tool for identifying trace metals in volcanoes and their sources. In the present study, the origin of vanadium in water from a spring at the base of Mt. Fuji is examined using δ18O, a dormant stratovolcano consisting of lava and basalt rock located on the North Pacific Coast of Japan. A comparison of water from the main springs at the foot of the Mt. Fuji volcano indicates that only V, Cr, Mn and Co enrichment could be related to volcanic events, whereas Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb originate from the dissolution of particles of anthropogenic origin from the industrial areas of Fuji and Fujinomiya. The average V concentrations at the mountain sites ranged from 50 to 110 µg L?1 and from 18 to 47 µg L?1 in the coastal areas. The δ18O became depleted at higher elevations and increased in coastal areas as well as in some NO3?-contaminated water. Therefore, variations in the dissolved V/δ18O ratio in springs of the study area occur due to the elevations of their catchments and the increased concentrations of δ18O from NO3? as a contaminant. |
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Keywords: | Volcano spring δ18O vanadium Mount Fuji basalt |
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