Radiogenic helium in shallow groundwater within a clay till, southwestern Ontario
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Abstract
Profiles of 4He in pore water were measured in clay aquitards in SW Ontario. The 4He distributions are consistent with groundwater velocities that are <6 mm yr−1, and thus diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism for 4He. Modeling indicates that the effective diffusion coefficient for 4He is 6.3 ± 1.6 × 10−6 cm2 s−1. Furthermore, the profiles are consistent with the internal release of 4He from aquitard sediments at a rate of 0.03–0.13 μcc(STP) kg−1 yr−1. These rates are also consistent with laboratory release experiments and, on average, are 600 times greater than the production of 4He from U/Th decay. Modeling and the ratio of 21Ne to 4He within the sediments indicate that although the aquitards were deposited about 13 kA BP, the sediments released >70% of initial 4He for 50 to 60 kA prior to incorporation into the till.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Radiogenic helium in shallow groundwater within a clay till, southwestern Ontario |
| Series title | Water Resources Research |
| DOI | 10.1029/2002WR001797 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Publication Date | December 03, 2003 |
| Year Published | 2003 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Description | Article 1331; 12 p. |