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GSA Annual Meeting, November 5-8, 2001

Paper No. 0
Presentation Time: 4:00 PM

RADIOCARBON DATING OF GROUNDWATER USING PALEOCLIMATIC DATA AND DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN, NEVADA AND CALIFORNIA


MORSE, Brad S.1, THOMAS, James M.1 and BURR, George2, (1)Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Rsch Institute, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512, (2)NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory, Univ of Arizona, PAS Building 81, Tuscon, AZ 85721, bmorse@dri.edu

Understanding the age of groundwater, and hence travel times, in the Southern Great Basin is of importance because of possible radionuclide migration from the Nevada Test Site, and the rapidly expanding population of Las Vegas. This study uses two independent methods of radiocarbon dating to determine the travel times of several groundwater flow paths in the Southern Great Basin. The first method involves using paleoclimatic data from Devils Hole to avoid the difficulties inherent in radiocarbon dating with dissolved inorganic carbon in carbonate aquifers. The second method uses new techniques developed to date groundwater with the carbon isotopes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The DOC method in particular has the potential for application in many different hydrogeologic settings.

Session No. 42

T40. Isotopic Tracers and Thermal Anomaly Data as Constraints on Groundwater Flow Patterns and Climate History within Sedimentary Systems
Monday, 5 November 2001: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 33, No. 6, October 2001, p.637
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