Gypsum karst in the western Ukraine: Hydrochemistry and solution rates

Gypsum karst in the western Ukraine underlies a large territory of more than 20,000 km(2) and is represented by a range of stages (evolutionary types), from deep-seated through subjacent to entrenched. Correspondingly, hydrogeological settings of karst development, circulation patterns, and chemical characteristics of groundwaters differ substantially between the respective areas. Based on 1,800 analyses, the paper summarises hydrochemistry of the gypsum-hosting Miocene aquifer. Most of the sampling has been performed in conjunction with a regime study of gypsum-solution rates by means of standard tablets. This study included 53 tablet stations representing varying conditions of water-rock interaction, where 644 weight-loss measurements have been made during 1984-1992. The highest rates are characteristic of entrenched karst, although active dissolution there is localised along well-defined sinking streams with short underground courses, rare vertical-percolation paths, and the water table. Lower, but still quite substantial, rates are characteristic for subjacent and deep-seated (confined) karst. However, the overall dissolution removal is higher there, due to higher rates of flow through the gypsum and the larger area of rock/solvent contact. The results are generalised in order to derive the approximate solution rates that characterise major situations and that are suitable for modeling purposes.