Abstract
Use of natural U in studying recharge of oxygenated waters in crystalline bedrock is discussed. Uranium is a redox-sensitive element and therefore easily mobilised when conditions change from reducing to oxidising. It has two independent decay chains and occurs easily accessible to groundwater in the bedrock, thus forming a sensitive network of “probes”. Glacial melt waters rich in dissolved oxygen may penetrate the bedrock, producing signals in the U network along and around the flow routes. The signals record U behaviour as U-series disequilibria that are detectable long after the forming of the signal. Relative roles of modern groundwater flow and glacial melt waters as forming these signals are considered.
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Suksi, U.J., Rasilainen, K., Ruskeeniemi, T., Marcos, N., Hellmuth, KH. (2002). Natural U occurrences as a palaeo-hydrogeological indicator — observations from the Palmottu natural analogue site, Finland. In: Merkel, B.J., Planer-Friedrich, B., Wolkersdorfer, C. (eds) Uranium in the Aquatic Environment. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55668-5_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55668-5_26
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