The use of δ¹⁸O as an indicator of vanadium movement in a dormant stratovolcano region

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Volcano spring
• δ¹⁸O
• vanadium
• Mount Fuji
• basalt

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by TOTO and TOYOX Co. Ltd. of Japan.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.