Physicochemical Characteristics of Mahallat Warm Springs in West-Central Iran

Abstract

The Mahallat geothermal region is a very large region (about 50,000 km2) that is positioned in the west-central part of the country. There are eight warm springs in this region whose temperatures vary from 32-48 °C. They are located in two different areas, Mahallat and Vartun (east of Isfahan City). Six of these springs are located northeast of Mahallat city and the other two are located in the Vartun area. In this paper, the physicochemical characteristics of Mahallat warm springs are interpreted.
These springs were visited and sampled in October 2008 in order to investigate their properties. It was found that they exhibit acid-sulfate water type and that they appeared at the surface due to the fault activity. Their heat originates from young magma bodies at unknown depths in the region. There are some large outcrops of Travertine deposits around the springs and Mahallat city. Their flowrates indicate that a large geothermal system exists in the deeper parts of the region.