Abert and Summer Lakes, South-Central Oregon
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... ( t.• CE'...,.. ~ - ~'>01..1.4_... ~ Dl - . ,, c E: 70. I V F' O I 12 "7.'t: I z Solute Balance at 'i.'] .J Abert and Summer Lakes, South-Central Oregon GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 502-C Solute Balance at Abert and Summer Lakes, South-Central Oregon By A. S. VAN DENBURGH CLOSED- BASIN INVESTIGATIONS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 502-C A description of the quantity and chemical character of incoming, outgoing, and stored solutes and the mechanisms of solute accumulation and depletion in a saline environment UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1975 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data VanDenburgh, A. S. Solute balance at Abert and Summer Lakes, south-central Oregon. (Closed-basin investigations) (Geological Survey Professional Paper 502-C) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs. No.: I 19.16:502-C 1. Saline waters-Oregon-Abert Lake. 2. Saline waters-Oregon-Summer Lake. I. Title. II. Series. III. Series: United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 502-C. QE75.P9 No. 502-C fGB1625.07) 557.3'08s f553'.72'0979593) 75-619062 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-001-02689-9 CONTENTS P.1ge Page Abstract ... ..... ........ ....... .. .... ..... .. ....... ........ ........ ... .. ... ... ... ... ... .. C1 Solute bala!H"e ................................................................................... C10 Introduction ..................................................................................... 2 Incoming and outgoing ~olutes .............................................. .. 12 Lm at ion and general features of the area ................................ 2 Lake Abert ........................................................................ .. 12 Purpose and scope of investigation ......................................... 2 Su1nn1er Lake .................................................................... 18 Ackno"' ledgn1en ts ..................................................................... 2 Summary of solute gain and loss ...................................... 18 Location systen1 ........................................................................ 4 Stored ~olu tes ........................................................................... .. 19 Hydrologic characteristics of the two lakes and their basim ......... 4 Solutes dissolved in the lakes ............................................ 19 Cli1nate ...................................................................................... 4 Lake-bottom and peripheral solutes ................................ .. 24 Inflo"·························································································· 5 Lake Abert ......................................................................... 5 Lake Abert ................................................................. .. 24 Sununer Lake ................................................................... .. 7 Sun1n1er Lake ............................................................ .. 26 Lake extent and fluctuation .................................................... .. 8 Summary of stored '>olutes ................................................ 27 Parameters that characterize the lakes ...................................... 9 Contrasting solute balance~ at the two lakes .......................... .. 27 Lake Abert ........................................................................ .. 10 Literature cited ................................................................................. 29 Summer Lake ................................................................... .. lO ILLUSTRATIONS f'age PLATE 1. Map showing physiographic and hydrologic setting and the chemical character of brines in shallow lake-bottom and peripheral sediment, Lake Abert and Summer Lake, south-central Oregon ..................................................... In pocket FIGURE l. Index map showing location of Abert and Summer Lakes ........................................................................................................ C2 2. Aerial photographs of Abert and Summer Lakes .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. .... .. ...... .. .. ...... .. .. .. .. .... .. .... .. ... 3 3-7. Graphs showing: 3. Wind movement and representative seasonal patterns of precipitation, streamflow, air temperature, and evaporation in and adjacent to the Abert and Summer Lake basins............................................................... 5 4. Fluctuations of Lake Abert in water years 1916-65, compared with precipitation at Valley Falls and discharge of the Chewaucan River.................................................................................................................... 6 5. Correlation between coefficient of area variation and geometric-shape factor for Lake Abert, Summer Lake, and several other dosed lakes.......................................................................................................... 11 6. Estimated discharge and dissolved-solids content of Chewaucan River near Valley Falls, water years 1961-65............................................................................................................................................................. 13 7. Changes in the chemical character of Chewaucan River near Valley Falls with increasing dissolved-solids content............................................................................................................................................. 16 8. Map showing source and chemical character of sampled spring and seep flow peripheral to Lake .1\bert............................................................................................................................................................................. 17 9, 10. Bar graphs showing relative abundance of major anions in: 9. Playa-surface salts adjacent to Abert and Summer Lakes............................................................................................. 17 10. Abert and Summer Lakes, 1912 and 1961 ..................................................................................................................... 19 11-14. Graphs showing: 11. Relation of dissolved-solids tonnage to fluctuations of volume and surface area of Lake Abert, 1937-69................................................................................................................................................. 21 12. Variations in lake-surface altitude and dissolved-solids tonnage at Summer Lake, 1959-69..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 13. Relation of increasing dissolved-solids tonnage in Summer Lake during 1963-68 to fluctuations of lake volume and surface area, and time since last prior desiccation........................................................................... 23 14. Hypothetical long-term cycles of dissolved-solute tonnage and lake volume for a closed lake.................................. 24 III IV CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE l. Hydrologic budgets for Summer Lake before 1900 and aftet 1926 .................................................................................................. C8 2. Area and volume of Abert and Summer Lakes ..... .... .. .. ...... ...... ....... ...... ... ...... ...... ...... ....... ........ ...... ...... ... .. .. .... ........ ..... ........ .......... 8 3. Parameters that describe the physical and hydrologic characteristics of Abert and Summer Lakes.............................................. 10 ..J:. Chemical analyses of representative surface and ground waters in the Abert and Summer Lake basins . ... .............. ..... ............... 14 5. Changes in dissolved-solids tonnage during passage of Chewaucan River through Chewaucan Marsh in water years 1961 and 1965, and in an average year..................................................................................................................................................... 14 6. Solute contributions to Abert and Summer Lakes and their peripheral areas by streams, springs, and seeps.............................. 15 7. Dissolved-solids concentrations and tonnages in Lake Abert at various times since 1911.............................................................. 20 8. Dissolved-solids concentrations, tonnages, and chloride : sodium ratios in Summer Lake at various times since 1911............... 20 9. Analytical data for sediment and interstitial brine at representative lake-bottom and playa sampling sites................................ 24 10. Relative abundance of major ions in representative samples of lake water and interstitial brine from lake-bottom and peripheral-playa sedtments....................................................................................................................................................... 25 CLOSED-BASIN INVESTIGATIONS SOLUTE BALANCE AT ABERT AND SUMMER LAKES, SOUTH-CENTRAL OREGON By A. s. vAN DENBURGH ABSTRACT Neighbming Abert and Summer Lakes occupy the broad flat floors of The solute tonnage in broad, shallow closed lakes with wide margiral deep, topographically enclosed basins in the high desert of south-central playas fluctuates in response to long-term changes in lake area a'1d Oregon. The two saline lakes and their