Paleorecharge by the Niger River (Mali) deduced from groundwater geochemistry

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Water Resources Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90WR01703· OSTI ID:5745923

Fontes, J C ^[1]; Andrews, J N ^[2]; Edmunds, W M ^[3]; Guerre, A ^[4]; Travi, Y ^[5]

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1. Univ. de Paris-Sud, Orsay (France)
2. Univ. of Bath (United Kingdom)
3. British Geological Survey, Wallingford (United Kingdom)
4. United Nations Development Programme, Bamako (Mali)
5. Univ. d'Avignon (France)

Stable isotopes, major elements, trace elements, and noble gases in groundwater from northern Mali permit a reconstruction of the paleohydrology of the Sahelian and sub-Saharan regions of west Africa. Major floods of the Niger River during the more humid episodes of the Holocene, probably associated with northward migration of the interior river delta (flood zone), were responsible for groundwater recharge. A marine aerosol input, somewhat modified by rock-water interaction, dominates the groundwater chemistry. stable isotope compositions distinguish the Saharan zone groundwater from waters recharged in the Sahelian zone south of the Azaouad ridge. Carbon 14 dating shows that whereas the latter are modern, the Saharan zone was recharged in the Early to Middle Holocene. Nobel gas contents suggest that recharge north of Azaouad occurred under cooler climatic conditions than presently prevail.

• OSTI ID: 5745923
• Journal Information: Water Resources Research; (United States), Vol. 27:2; ISSN 0043-1397
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GROUND WATER
GEOCHEMISTRY
NIGER RIVER
RECHARGE
AEROSOLS
AFRICA
AGE ESTIMATION
CARBON 14
CLIMATES
QUATERNARY PERIOD
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
VARIATIONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON ISOTOPES
CENOZOIC ERA
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOLOGIC AGES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RIVERS
SOLS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
540320* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)