Deep meteoric waters comprise a key component of the hydrologic cycle, transferring water, energy, and life between the Earth's surface and deeper crustal environments, yet little is known about the nature and extent of meteoric water circulation. Using water stable isotopes, we show that maximum circulation depths of meteoric waters across North America vary considerably from <1 to 5 km, with the deepest circulation in Western North America in areas of greater topographic relief. Shallower circulation occurs in sedimentary and shield‐type environments with subdued topography. The amount of topographic relief available to drive regional groundwater flow and flush saline fluids is an important control on the extent of meteoric water circulation, in addition to permeability. The presence of an active flow system in the upper few kilometers of the Earth's crust and stagnant brines trapped by negative buoyancy offers a new framework for understanding deep groundwater systems.

中文翻译：

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地壳中的深层流水循环

深空水是水文循环的关键组成部分，它在地球表面和更深的地壳环境之间传递水，能量和生命，但对流水循环的性质和程度知之甚少。使用水稳定同位素，我们显示了整个北美地区的最大水流环流深度在<1至5 km之间变化很大，而在北美西部地区，地形起伏较大的地区环流最深。浅水环流发生在地形柔和的沉积和盾构型环境中。除渗透性外，可用于驱动区域地下水流动和冲洗盐水的地形起伏量是对流水循环程度的重要控制。