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Origin of 14C in Icelandic Groundwater

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Árný E. Sveinbjörnsdóttir ,
Jan Heinemeier  and
Stefán Arnórsson
Árný E. Sveinbjörnsdóttir
Affiliation:
Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland
Jan Heinemeier
Affiliation:
AMS 14C Dating Laboratory, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Denmark
Stefán Arnórsson
Affiliation:
Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland
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Abstract

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We report the first attempt to date Icelandic groundwater by the radiocarbon dating technique. We propose that boron concentrations of the water samples can be taken as a measure of the amount of dead CO2 in the groundwater leached from rock. By assuming that the ratio of boron to CO2 is the same in the rock and groundwater it is possible to correct the 14C concentration for the contribution of rock-derived carbon in the groundwater and thus calculate the initial (undiluted) 14C concentration. When this correction is applied, the values for the cold and warm waters lie in the range 60 to 110 pMC, which is in accordance with the estimated residence time for the groundwater. We have also calculated the fractions of atmospheric and organic carbon in the water, based on the δ13C measurements, and the results agree well with the general hydrology and vegetational cover of the areas. Results from geothermal systems indicate that it is possible to use 14C to estimate relative age differences of the water in a particular geothermal area.

Type
IV. 14C as a Tracer of the Dynamic Carbon Cycle in the Current Environment
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , 1995 , pp. 551 - 565
Copyright
Copyright © the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona 

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