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Progeny of Radon (210Pb) as a Tracer and Chronometer in Continents and Aqueous Systems

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Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies

Part of the book series: Springer Geochemistry ((SPRIGEO))

Abstract

One of the most widely used progeny of radon is 210Pb, which is utilized both as a chronometer and tracer. Diffusion of radon out of the Earth’s surface results in horizontal redistribution of 210Pb produced from the decay of atmospheric 222Rn, which eventually leads to higher activities of 210Pb in the surface layers of land, oceanic water column and snow/ice fields than that expected from equilibrium with 226Ra. The vertical variations of excess activity is used to obtain ages of the sedimentary layers which are useful for a large spectrum of researchers including biologists, paleoecologists, limnologists, geochemists, speleologists, atmospheric chemists, etc. Pb-210 is also used as a tracer to assess rates and patterns of soil redistribution and for tracing sediment movement in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this chapter, a brief review of the geochemical behavior of Pb-210 in the environment is presented. Applications of 210Pb as a tracer for soil erosion studies require understanding of the variations of the inter-annual atmospheric depositional fluxes of 210Pb which is also briefly presented. Ice-rafted sediments in the Arctic sea-ice tend to accumulate large amounts of atmospherically-delivered 210Pb and its application as a tracer in the Arctic is summarized. In-depth discussion on most commonly employed 210Pb-based sedimentation-rate models that include constant flux:constant sedimentation (CF:CS) and variable sedimentation models (constant rate of supply (CRS) and constant initial concentration (CIC)) are included. It is now agreed by the scientific community that 210Pb-based chronology must be validated at least by one another independent method and a comparison of 210Pb method with another method (either 137Cs and/or historical time marker, e.g. Hg discharge) is discussed. An example for both cases, one in which there is a good agreement between 137Cs- and excess 210Pb-based chronologies and a case in which there is no agreement between the same nuclides-based chronologiesare presented. A brief discussion on the calculation of residence time of 210Pb in the oceanic water column is also included.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Ms. Angelin Baskaran for a through editorial review of this chapter.

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  1. Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Mark Baskaran

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Baskaran, M. (2016). Progeny of Radon (210Pb) as a Tracer and Chronometer in Continents and Aqueous Systems. In: Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies. Springer Geochemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21329-3_7

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