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Thorium-230 chronology of natural waters at the Nevada test site

Book ·
OSTI ID:138528
 [1]
  1. Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Carbon-14 dating was used in the past to estimate the ages of ground water from the Paleozoic aquifer underlying the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and adjacent areas. Grove et al. reported that a generally good correlation existed between the carbon-14 dates and the hydraulic interpretations. The so-called adjusted carbon-14 ages of ten water samples taken from wells and springs at the NTS and adjacent areas vary from -1600 to 23,400 years. It seems, however, the aquifer is heterogeneous and is insufficiently defined to permit detailed predictions of ground water velocities or flow patterns. An alternative dating method measured the concentrations of Th-230, Th-232, U-234, and U-238 in several water samples from the wells and springs, and calculated the Th-230 ages.

OSTI ID:
138528
Report Number(s):
CONF-9108101--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English