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Reaction-Path Formulation of a Simple Dissolution Model for Radiocarbon Dating Groundwater

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Songlin Cheng*
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 45435 USA
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Abstract

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Since the pioneer publication of K. O. Münnich (1957), 14C systematics have been used in many hydrogeological studies. Because of the complexity of carbon geochemistry, numerous models have been proposed to correct the dilution effect of “dead” carbon in groundwater. All the 14C correction models for dating groundwater are based on either open- or closed-system conditions. I present here a simple model that accounts for the effects of both open- and closed-system dissolution of carbonate and aluminosilicate minerals. For systems involving precipitation of carbonate minerals and redox reactions of organic matter, reaction-path simulations are essential for reliable 14C dating of groundwater.

Type
II. Applied Isotope Geochemistry
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

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