Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T15:57:32.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Study of the Effect of Fossil Organic Carbon on 14C in Groundwater from Hvinningdal, Denmark

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The carbonate hydrochemistry of groundwater from the Hvinningdal aquifer (Denmark) was studied by radiocarbon (accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)) and δ13C measurements as a preliminary step towards 14C groundwater dating. The 14C concentrations varied between 30 and 100 percent modern carbon (pMC) in apparent contradiction with tritium (3H) data, which in most cases indicate a post-bomb date. The dilution of 14C can be explained as being due to the combined effect of dissolution of old soil carbonate and oxidation of old organic carbon. The last effect proved to be essential. To calculate this correction the dissolved oxygen concentration was used together with the δ13C values. The combined corrections bring the 14C concentrations up to post-bomb levels in better agreement with the 3H data.

Type
Part 2: Applications
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Dorr, H., Sonntag, C. and Regenberg, W. 1987 Field study on the initial 14C content as a limiting factor in 14C groundwater dating. In Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Development. Vienna, IAEA: 7386.Google Scholar
Mook, W. G. 1980 Carbon-14 in hydrogeological studies. In Fritz, P. and Fontes, J.-C., eds., Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry. Amsterdam, Elsevier: 4974.Google Scholar
Münnich, K. O. 1968 Isotope-Datierung von Grundwasser. Naturwissenschaften 55: 158163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, F. J. and Hanshaw, B. B. 1970 Sources of dissolved carbonate species in groundwater and their effects on carbon-14 dating. In Isotope Hydrology, Proceedings of the Vienna Symposium. Vienna, IAEA: 271286.Google Scholar
Thorling, L., Boutrup, S., Hundahl, M. and Søndergaard, V. 1993 Statusrapport 1992 Vandmiljøovervågning af Grundvandet. Árhus Amt, Natur og Miljøe: 109 p. + appendix.Google Scholar
Thorling, L., Boutrup, S., Søndergaard, V., Reiter, C. and Thomsen, R., 1995 Statusrapport 1994 Vandmiljøovervågning af Grundvandet. Århus Amt, Natur og Miljoe: 136 p. + appendix.Google Scholar