Understanding the Origin and Mixing of Deep Fluids in Shallow Aquifers and Possible Implications for Crustal Deformation Studies: San Vittorino Plain, Central Apennines

Expanding knowledge about the origin and mixing of deep fluids and the water–rock–gas
interactions in aquifer systems can represent an improvement in the comprehension of crustal deformation
processes. An analysis of the deep and meteoric fluid contributions to a regional groundwater
circulation model in an active seismic area has been carried out. We performed two hydrogeochemical
screenings of 15 springs in the San Vittorino Plain (central Italy). Furthermore, we updated the San
Vittorino Plain structural setting with a new geological map and cross-sections, highlighting how and
where the aquifers are intersected by faults. The application of Na-Li geothermometers, coupled with
trace element and gas analyses, agrees in attributing the highest temperatures (>150 C), the greatest
enrichments in Li (124.3 ppb) and Cs (>5 ppb), and traces of mantle-derived He (1–2%) to springs
located in correspondence with high-angle faults (i.e., S5, S11, S13, and S15). This evidence points
out the role of faults acting as vehicles for deep fluids into regional carbonate aquifers. These results
highlight the criteria for identifying the most suitable sites for monitoring variations in groundwater
geochemistry due to the uprising of deep fluids modulated by fault activity to be further correlated
with crustal deformation and possibly with seismicity.