Moretti I., Baby Patrice, Zapata P. A., Mendoza R. V. (2023). Subduction and hydrogen release : the case of Bolivian altiplano. Geosciences, 13 (4), p. 109 [18 p.].
Auteurs
Moretti I., Baby Patrice, Zapata P. A., Mendoza R. V.
Source
Geosciences, 2023,
13 (4), p. 109 [18 p.]
Natural hydrogen is known to be generated in the crust by water/rock interactions, especially the oxidation of iron-rich rock or radiolysis. However, other sources, especially deeper ones, exist. In the context of subduction, the dehydration of the slab, the destabilization of the NH4, and the hydration of the mantle wedge above the subducting lithosphere may generate H-2. We present here a compilation of the known gases in the central part of the Pacific subduction and the results of a first field acquisition dedicated to H-2 measurements in Bolivia between La Paz and South Lipez. Various zones have been studied: the emerging thrust faults of the western borders of the Eastern Cordillera, the Sajama area that corresponds to the western volcanic zone near the Chile border northward from the Uyuni Salar, and finally, the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex in South Lipez. Soil gas measurement within and around the Salar itself was not fully conclusive. North of the Uyuni Salar, the gases are very rich in CO2, enriched in N-2 and poor in H-2. On the opposite, southward, all the samples contain some H-2; the major gas is nitrogen, which may overpass 90% after air correction, and the CO2 content is very limited. On the western border of the Cordillera, the delta C13 isotope varies between -5 and -13 parts per thousand(,) and it is not surprisingly compatible with volcanic gas, as well as with asthenospheric CO2. The methane content is close to 0, and only a few points reach 1%. The isotopes (-1 parts per thousand) indicate an abiotic origin, and it is thus related to deep H-2 presence. The high steam flow in the geothermal area of South Lipez combined with the H-2 content in the water results in at least 1 ton of H-2 currently released per day from each well and may deserve an evaluation of its economic value. The nitrogen content, as in other subduction or paleo-subduction areas, questions the slab alteration.
