The Boron Budget in Waters of the Mono Basin, California

Abstract

Mono Lake in eastern California has the highest natural boron concentrations measured in a natural water body. Inputs to Mono Lake are from creeks that drain from the Sierra Nevada, accounting for over 80% of the total water input, and springs account for most of the rest of the water budget. We measured boron concentrations and isotope compositions of water sources in the lake and lake water collected over several seasons. The δ11B offset of at least +2.5‰ between Mono Lake water compared to its inputs suggests that, like seawater, the boron isotopic composition of the lake is influenced by the removal of light boron by coprecipitation and/or sorption of borate. Given the alkalinity of the lake, boron fractionation likely occurs before or as the water sources enter the lake. The famous tufa towers around the lake are a physical representation of a ‘chemical delta’ that alters the boron isotopic composition of the source fluids as they enter the lake. Based on different combinations of the measured end members, the residence time of boron in Mono Lake is estimated to be within the range of 5~80 ka.