Statistics
Scientific paper
Oct 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000e%26psl.182..103c&link_type=abstract
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 182, Issue 1, p. 103-113.
Statistics
10
Scientific paper
The measurement of cosmogenic 81Kr (t1/2=(2.29+/-0.11)×105 yr) has been proposed for many years as a reliable tool for groundwater dating in the range from 105 to 106 yr. In this paper, we report on the first use of 81Kr to determine the age of groundwater from four wells in the Great Artesian Basin in Australia. As the concentration of 81Kr in old groundwater is only a few hundred atoms per liter, krypton was extracted from large (16000 l) groundwater samples and was analyzed for the isotopic abundance of 81Kr by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) with a cyclotron. 81Kr/Kr isotope ratios of (1.54+/-0.22)×10-13, (1.78+/-0.26)×10-13, (2.19+/-0.28)×10-13 and (2.63+/-0.32)×10-13, respectively, were measured for these samples. It is reasonable to assume that krypton dissolved in surface water in contact with the atmosphere has the known atmospheric 81Kr/Kr ratio of (5.20+/-0.40)×10-13. The observed reduction of isotope ratios in the groundwater samples can then be interpreted as being due to radioactive decay since recharge. This results in respective groundwater ages of: (4.02+/-0.51)×105 yr, (3.54+/-0.50)×105 yr, (2.87+/-0.38)×105 yr and (2.25+/-0.42)×105 yr. The main emphasis of this paper lies on the description of the analytic procedure to extract a reliable 81Kr signal from large groundwater samples. Although the uncertainties are still relatively large (primarily due to counting statistics caused by the low cyclotron AMS efficiency), the new technique enabled for the first time a definite determination of residence times for old groundwater with 81Kr. It thus confirms the hope that this radionuclide may become a very valuable tool for groundwater dating.
Anthony David
Cole Daniel
Collon Ph.
Davids Barry
Kutschera Walter
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