One million year old groundwater in the Sahara revealed by krypton‐81 and chlorine‐36
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Open Access
- 12 March 2004
- journal article
- hydrology and-land-surface-studies
- Published by American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Geophysical Research Letters
- Vol. 31 (5)
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2003gl019234
Abstract
Measurements of 81Kr/Kr in deep groundwater from the Nubian Aquifer (Egypt) were performed by a new laser‐based atom‐counting method. 81Kr ages range from ∼2 × 105 to ∼1 × 106 yr, correlate with 36Cl/Cl ratios, and are consistent with lateral flow of groundwater from a recharge area near the Uweinat Uplift in SW Egypt. Low δ2H values of the 81Kr‐dated groundwater reveal a recurrent Atlantic moisture source during Pleistocene pluvial periods. These results indicate that the 81Kr method for dating old groundwater is robust and such measurements can now be applied to a wide range of hydrologic problems.Keywords
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