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One million year old groundwater in the Sahara revealed by krypton‐81 and chlorine‐36
Author(s) -
Sturchio N. C.,
Du X.,
Purtschert R.,
Lehmann B. E.,
Sultan M.,
Patterson L. J.,
Lu Z.T.,
Müller P.,
Bigler T.,
Bailey K.,
O'Connor T. P.,
Young L.,
Lorenzo R.,
Becker R.,
El Alfy Z.,
El Kaliouby B.,
Dawood Y.,
Abdallah A. M. A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl019234
Subject(s) - pluvial , groundwater recharge , groundwater , aquifer , geology , hydrology (agriculture) , groundwater flow , pleistocene , krypton , artesian aquifer , paleontology , physics , geotechnical engineering , atomic physics , xenon
Measurements of 81 Kr/Kr in deep groundwater from the Nubian Aquifer (Egypt) were performed by a new laser‐based atom‐counting method. 81 Kr ages range from ∼2 × 10 5 to ∼1 × 10 6 yr, correlate with 36 Cl/Cl ratios, and are consistent with lateral flow of groundwater from a recharge area near the Uweinat Uplift in SW Egypt. Low δ 2 H values of the 81 Kr‐dated groundwater reveal a recurrent Atlantic moisture source during Pleistocene pluvial periods. These results indicate that the 81 Kr method for dating old groundwater is robust and such measurements can now be applied to a wide range of hydrologic problems.