({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratios in freshwaters as tracers of hydrological processes: The Strengbach watershed (Vosges, France)
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Strasbourg (France). Centre de Geochimie de la Surface
({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) and {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr isotopic ratios, as well as major and trace (U, Ba, Sr, Rb) element concentrations were analyzed in dissolved loads of the Strengback stream (Vosges, France) in order to constrain the sources of U isotopes ({sup 234}U--{sup 238}U) to river waters. The variations of the ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratios along the stream indicate a clear dependence between the ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratios of the surface waters and the different types of rocks forming the watershed, with near equilibrium values for the waters draining granites and high ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) disequilibria (1.4) for those flowing over carbonates. The high ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) disequilibria are related to a supply of {sup 234}U-enriched groundwaters located within the carbonate rocks. The ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratios of the waters at the outlet of the catchment collecting the sources of the stream on the granitic lithology, decrease from 1.02 to 0.96 when the discharge of the stream increases. Such a tendency requires mixing between a water body enriched in {sup 234}U which weathered the granitic bed rock at secular equilibrium, and a water with a ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratio below unity representing a mobilization of U from material that has already been weathered. Comparison of the geochemical characteristics of waters collected during the year and those collected during a flood event, reveals the involvement of two different weathered end-members, depending on the hydrological conditions: during the year, the dissolved U transported by the river originates from bed-rock and deep horizons of the weathering profile, whereas a significant part of U, during the flood event, is supplied by superficial horizons of soils, probably complexes by organic colloids. These results outline the potential of ({sup 234}U/{sup 238}U) activity ratios to investigate hydrological processes and emphasize that their use as tracers of rock weathering should be made cautiously.
- OSTI ID:
- 680063
- Journal Information:
- Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 63, Issue 9; Other Information: PBD: May 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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