Abstract Title: Xenowhiffs: Linking tectonism to hydrology of the Western U.S. 
through travertine and spring geochemistry

Abstract Author(s): Crossey, L.J. and Newell, D. (University of New Mexico) 
 
Abstract: Travertine deposits in the arid western U.S. occur within: 1) the 
dissected aquifer system of Grand Canyon, 2) on the flanks of the Rio Grande 
rift and along the Jemez volcanic lineament, and 3) in numerous areas of the 
Basin and Range province. At a local scale, travertine deposits commonly occur 
along basement-penetrating Cenozoic normal faults that have had complex 
reactivation histories. The application of numerous geochemical tracers to the 
water and gas chemistry of active travertine-depositing springs has resulted in 
a genetic model for the genesis of vast quantities of Quaternary travertine. 
Our model for solute acquisition focuses on the role of magmatism in active 
extensional tectonic settings as a source of excess CO2, rather than the 
conventional atmospheric and soil moisture recharge model. Extensive travertine 
accumulations of the western U.S. are an unrecognized record of high fluxes of 
CO2. The hypothesis that travertine accumulation is facilitated by movement of 
small volumes of deeply-sourced, CO2-rich waters up faults via seismic pumping 
is testable within the framework of EarthScope. Travertine accumulation should 
also be sensitive to climatic inputs of water. Quaternary travertines may 
potentially provide both a paleoseismic record (supply of lower world waters 
increases due to seismic activity) and a paleoclimate record (upper world 
recharge, spring activity, and volume of travertine deposited increase in wet 
times). In addition, natural inputs from deeply sourced saline spring waters 
affect parameters such as salinity, arsenic, and sulfate content of 
groundwaters and surface waters, thereby directly linking tectonic activity to 
water quality.