Natural distribution of cosmic-ray produced tritium. II

Buttlar, H. v.; Libby, W. F.

doi:10.1016/0022-1902(55)80070-x

Cited by 105 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…A period of 38 years would be required for this to decay to the observed 0.06 TU level , producing a 2% increase in 1> (3He). Finally, the effect of Colorado River water, with an estimated pre-bomb tritium content of-5 TU [Kaufman and Libby, 1954;von Buttlar and Libby, 1955], can also be neglected, since a simple calculation based on salinity shows that the deep waters of the Gulf cannot contain more than a few percent of this river water. Some insight into the overall effect of tritium decay on the 3 He in the Gulf can be gained by comparison with open-ocean observations at similar latitudes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helium‐3 in the Guaymas Basin: Evidence for injection of mantle volatiles in the Gulf of California

Lupton¹

1979

J. Geophys. Res.

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Helium isotope measurements in six major basins in the Gulf of California show that the deep Guaymas Basin has 3 He/ 4 He 65· 70% higher than atmospheric helium, clear evidence of mantle helium injection. Smaller 3 He excesses observed in the Carmen and Farallon basins may be derived from this Guaymas Basin anomaly. The 3 He concentrations in the Mazatlan Basin in the mouth of the Gulf of California are similar to average eastern Pacific values, indicating that the Gulf does not provide a significant flux of 3 He into the general Pacific circulation . On the basis of temperature and salinity measurements an upper limit of 0.28oC can be placed on the amount of geothermal heating observed in any of the basins. The isotopic ratio of the injected Guaymas Basin helium is found to be 3 He/ 4 He = (1 .10 ± 0.06) X w-5 , almost identical to the helium signature observed at the Galapagos Rift but somewhat lower than the average rat io in oceanic basalt glasses.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helium‐3 in the Guaymas Basin: Evidence for injection of mantle volatiles in the Gulf of California

Lupton¹

1979

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…Most of the tritium that was present in the atmosphere prior to thermonuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s was the result of natural production by the bombardment of nitrogen by neutrons in cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere (Solomon 2000). The natural background activity of 3 H in precipitation and surface water prior to 1951 varied between 2 and 10 TU (Von Buttlar and Libby 1955;Thatcher 1962;Roether 1967). However, between 1951 and 1980, tritium from anthropogenic atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons overwhelmed the natural cosmogenic origin (Plummer 2005).…”

Section: Radiogenic Isotopes Of Water Molecule ( 3 H)mentioning

confidence: 98%

Hydrochemical and isotopic investigation of the groundwater composition of an alluvial aquifer, Cap Bon Peninsula, Tunisia

Moussa

Salem

Zouari

et al. 2010

Carbonates Evaporites

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In the Grombalia region, Cap Bon Peninsula, northeastern Tunisia, increasing population and development of agricultural activity during the last few decades have engendered large expansion of groundwater pumping from the shallow, unconfined aquifer. Recently, the water table has displayed some signs of overexploitation such as decline in the water level in boreholes and considerable deterioration of water quality. Hydrochemical and isotopic data were used in conjunction with hydrogeological characteristics to investigate the groundwater composition in this aquifer. It has been demonstrated that groundwaters, recharged mainly in the surrounding foothills, acquire their mineralization principally by water-rock interaction, i.e., dissolution of evaporites and reverse cation exchange, and secondarily by return flow of irrigation waters. The isotopic signature of groundwaters permits identification of two different types. Water with depleted d 18 O and d 2 H contents is interpreted as recharge by non-evaporated rainfall, originating from a mixture of Atlantic and Mediterranean air masses. However, water with relatively enriched d 18 O and d 2 H contents is thought to reflect contamination by return flow of irrigation waters. Tritium contents, ranging between 1.2 and 4.5 TU indicate that groundwaters in an unconfined aquifer derive from post-nuclear recharge or contain a significant component of post-1950s water. The recent origin of these groundwaters is confirmed by the high carbon-14 activities, exceeding sometimes 100%, indicating the existence of a significant fraction of organic 14 C. This younger source of radiocarbon is, however, highlighted by the depleted d 13 C contents, corresponding to a system where CO 2 of C4 plants predominates.

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“…Natural tritium was first detected in water by von Grosse et al [2], Buttlar and Libby [3] believed that their data for tritium in water samples collected prior to March 15, 1954 were not affected by artificial tritium and that the tritium was of natural origin. However, Craig and Lai [4] showed that the natural conditions must have been affected before 1954 as the result of thermonuclear weapons testing (Operation Ivy) in 1952.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Buttlar and Libby [3] and Brown and Grummitt [5] measured the tritium concentration of various water sources such as snow, rain, lakes, rivers and springs. Most of these samples were collected after 1952 and therefore were possibly contaminated with man-made tritium.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tritium in Surface Waters of the Western United States

Holloway

1993

Radiochimica Acta

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The tritium content of streams, lakes and springs in Alaska, Nevada and Colorado was measured over the last decade. The tritium content of these waters has declined approximately 50% to a present maximum of up to 70 pCi/1. This decline is a continuation of the decreasing trend that started shortly after the atmospheric nuclear test ban treaty of the early 1960's. The present concentration of tritium in these natural waters is approaching the concentration expected from the natural production of tritium in the environment.

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Natural distribution of cosmic-ray produced tritium. II

Cited by 105 publications

References 7 publications

Helium‐3 in the Guaymas Basin: Evidence for injection of mantle volatiles in the Gulf of California

Helium‐3 in the Guaymas Basin: Evidence for injection of mantle volatiles in the Gulf of California

Hydrochemical and isotopic investigation of the groundwater composition of an alluvial aquifer, Cap Bon Peninsula, Tunisia

Tritium in Surface Waters of the Western United States

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