Supplemental Lithium Triangle Brine and Inflow Dataset for:
Supplemental Lithium Triangle Brine and Inflow Dataset for:
Origins of the Mg/Li ratio in closed-basin brines of the Lithium Triangle: the relative importance of high- and low-temperature water-rock interactions
Gordon D. Z. Williams & Avner Vengosh
Division of Earth and Climate Science, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University
Description
This dataset compiles geochemical data for more than 3,000 samples of springs, rivers, and closed-basin brines from the Lithium Triangle (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina), including 25 new samples collected for this study. Data were compiled from published sources with a focus on closed-basin brines and relevant inflows.
The dataset is not intended to be exhaustive, and additional published data may exist that are not included here. Reported values reflect the original published data; no systematic reprocessing or normalization of analytical results was performed beyond calculation of derived parameters (e.g., Mg/Li ratios and charge balance percent error) and any unit conversions.
Charge balance percent error was calculated and is provided as a general indicator of analytical consistency where sufficient major ion data are available. Many samples lack complete major ion datasets and therefore cannot be fully charge balanced.
Geographic coordinates are included where available (WGS84). In some cases, coordinates were digitized from published maps and represent approximate sample locations; such instances are noted in the “Note” column.
Column descriptions below provide information on sample sources, units, calculated parameters, and classification criteria.
Any updates to this dataset will be available at https://gordondzwilliams.github.io/LTdataset
Use & Citation
This dataset forms part of the supplementary material for:
Williams, G.D.Z., and Vengosh, A. (submitted). Origins of the Mg/Li ratio in closed-basin brines of the Lithium Triangle: the relative importance of high- and low-temperature water-rock interactions. Earth-Science Reviews.
If using this dataset, please cite the above article and any of the original data sources listed in the “References” tab. This compilation reflects original reported values; users are encouraged to consult and cite the primary publications for detailed methodological information.
Contact
For questions regarding this dataset, please contact:
Avner Vengosh (vengosh@duke.edu)
Gordon D.Z. Williams (gordon.williams@duke.edu)
Version
1.1, February 2026
Column Descriptions
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Column Name | Description |
| Sample ID | Reported Sample ID/name |
| Source | The refence source for each compiled datapoint. See main text for full reference. |
| Country | The Lithium Tringle country the sample is in. Either Chile, Bolivia, or Argentina |
| Lat | Latitude in decimal degrees if available. |
| Long | Longitude in decimal degrees if available. |
| Date | Date in M/D/Y if available. Where only M and Y are availabe, D is assumed to be 1. Where only Y is available M and D are both assumed to be 1. |
| Note | A relevant note on the compilation or transformation of the data. Such as if “Lat” and “Long” are approximated from a digitized map or if alkalinity is calculated from the carbonate and bicarbonate concentration. |
| Basin | The name of the closed-basin salar/lake/playa that occupies the terminal point of the basin. |
| Type | Refers to where the water sample was collected. Broadly defeined as a Spring, Stream, Lake, Brine, Rain, Seep, Thermal Spring, Underground, Brine, Marginal Brine, Geothermal. Thermal Spring only refers to samples classified as thermal spring (or hotspring, gypser, etc.) in their original publication. Underground refers to groundwaters of any depth. Brine referes to anything classified as a brine in its original publication. Marginal Brine is only used at the Salar de Atacama to distinguish between brines from the halite nucleus and those from along the margin. Geothermal only refers to samples collected from geothermal wells used for exploration, energy production etc.; samples was chosen to primarily be of in-situ samples/data (i.e. not flashed condensate or residual water). The “Class” column describes if the sample is considered an inflow water/brine or a terminal water/brine. |
| Class | Class defines all samples as either Terminal or Inflow. Terminal if they are from the closed-basin lake/salar and if they are considered representative and do not appear to be mixing with an inflow. Inflow if they are not considered Terminal, regardless of salinity or degree of evaporation. |
| Geothermal Field | Where available the name of goethermal fields for samples classified as Geothermal or Thermal Spring in the “Type” column. |
| Unit (milligram) | Unit description for values to the right of this column and left of the “Unit (mol)” column. All values in mg per liter (mg/L) or kilogram solution (mg/kg) as specified. Most values are reported on a per liter basis, however a few do not have sufficient data to convert between per liter and per kilogram. |
| Depth (m) | Range of depths if known in meters below groundlevel. |
| Temperature | Field measured temperature in °C. |
| Density | Density in g/mL. |
| pH | Field measured pH. |
| Alkalinity | Alkalinity of the solution in meq per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. Alkalinity is either the rported value or calculated from reported carbonate and bicarbonate concentrations (see note tab for description) |
| (H)CO3 | Carbonate and/or bicarbonate concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| F_mg | Fluoride concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Cl_mg | Chloride concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Br_mg | Bromide concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| I_mg | Iodide concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| SO4_mg | Sulfate concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| NO3_mg | Nitrate concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| PO4_mg | Phosphate concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| B_mg | Boron concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Si_mg | Silicon (elemental) concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| As_mg | Arsenic concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| NH4_mg | Ammonium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Na_mg | Sodium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| K_mg | Potassium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Li_mg | Lithium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Ca_mg | Calcium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Mg_mg | Magnesium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Al_mg | Aluminum concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Fe_mg | Iron concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Mn_mg | Manganese concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Zn_mg | Zinc concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Sr_mg | Strontium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Ba_mg | Barium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Rb_mg | Rubidium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| Cs_mg | Cesium concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| TDS | Total Dissolved Solids, concentration in mg per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (milligram)” column. |
| d18O | δ18O of water relative to VSMOW in permil (‰). |
| d2H | δ2H of water relative to VSMOW in permil (‰). |
| d11B | δ11B of aqueous boron relative to NIST SRM 951 in permil (‰). |
| d13C | δ13C of DIC relative to VPDB in permil (‰). |
| 87Sr/86Sr | Radiogenic strontium isotopes of aqueous strontium as the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. |
| d7Li | δ7Li of aqueous lithium relative to LSVEC/IRMM-016 in permil (‰). |
| d18O (SO4) | δ18O of sulfate relative to VSMOW in permil (‰). |
| d34S (SO4) | δ34S of sulfate relative to VCDT in permil (‰). |
| Unit (mol) | Unit description for values to the right of this column. All values in mmol per liter (mmol/L) or kilogram solution (mmol/kg) as specified. Most values are reported on a per liter basis, however a few do not have sufficient data to convert between per liter and per kilogram. |
| Alkalinity | Alkalinity of the solution in meq per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Alkalinity is either the rported value or calculated from reported carbonate and bicarbonate concentrations (see note tab for description) |
| Cl | Chloride concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Cl_mg” column. |
| Br | Bromide concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Br_mg” column. |
| SO4 | Sulfate concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “SO4_mg” column. |
| B | Boron concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “B_mg” column. |
| Si | Silicon concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Si_mg” column. |
| Na | Sodium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Na_mg” column. |
| K | Potassium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “K_mg” column. |
| Li | Lithium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Li_mg” column. |
| Ca | Calcium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Ca_mg” column. |
| Mg | Magnesium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “Mg_mg” column. |
| NH4 | Ammonium concentration in mmol per unit volume or mass as described in the “Unit (mol)” column. Values of “0” reflect no reported value in the “NH4_mg” column. |
| % error | The charge balance percent error from the molar cation and anion equivalents based on the values in the “Alkalinty”, “Cl”, “Br”, “SO4”, “Na”, “K”, “Li”, “Ca”, “Mg”, and “NH4” columns. This can be used to assess the accuracy or completeness of the data. |
| Na/Cl | The Na/Cl molar ratio |
| Mg/Li | The Mg/Li mass ratio |