Geochemistry of the formation waters in the Po plain (Northern Italy): an overview

The Po Valley brines represent the base level of the Quaternary aquifer located in a thick clay-sands sedimentary sequence. Geochemistry indicates that these are marine waters, evaporated to the stage of gypsum precipitation and trapped at the bottom of the basin in the late Messinian. Most of the groundwater samples collected from different springs and wells in the plain result from a mixture of these Na-Cl brines and shallow groundwaters laterally recharged by the Alpine and Apennine chains. Natural outflows of brackish waters are associated with major tectonic features. Mud volcanoes, located in the eastern sector of the Po plain, are constantly monitored as sudden chemical changes are significant precursors of seismic activity. In the western sector, calcite-filled veins isotopically record different degrees of water-rock interaction. These are outcropping fossil conduits, where mixing between shallow groundwaters and deep seated brines has occurred. The temporal continuity of the hydrological circuits allows the reconstruction of past and present groundwater circulation patterns. This paper summarises and integrates the geochemical data produced over many years in order to obtain a regional picture of brine origins and the natural mechanisms of groundwater flow.