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Geomorphic control of radionuclide diffusion in desert soils
Author(s) -
Pelletier Jon D.,
Harrington Charles D.,
Whitney John W.,
Cline Michael,
DeLong Stephen B.,
Keating Gordon,
Ebert K. Teryn
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1029/2005gl024347
Subject(s) - radionuclide , soil water , geology , bioturbation , soil science , alluvial fan , infiltration (hvac) , hydrology (agriculture) , alluvium , environmental science , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , sediment , geography , physics , quantum mechanics , structural basin , meteorology
Diffusion is a standard model for the vertical migration of radionuclides in soil profiles. Here we show that diffusivity values inferred from fallout 137 Cs profiles in soils on the Fortymile Wash alluvial fan, Nye County, Nevada, have a strong inverse correlation with the age of the geomorphic surface. This result suggests that radionuclide‐bound particles are predominantly transported by infiltration rather than by bulk‐mixing processes such as wetting/drying, freeze/thaw, and bioturbation. Our results provide a preliminary basis for using soil‐geomorphic mapping, point‐based calibration data, and the diffusion model to predict radionuclide transport in desert soils within a pedotransfer‐function approach.