Release of uranium from rock matrix--a record of glacial meltwater intrusions?

J Contam Hydrol

VTT Processes, PO Box 1608, FIN-02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland.

Published: March 2003

Uranium release observed in a rock matrix around water-carrying fractures was studied using U-series disequilibrium (USD) modelling and mass balance calculations. Several release scenarios were tested, with specific attention to the glacial aspects. The release appears to have occurred in two or three violent episodes during the last 300 ky. A release after the last glaciation can be excluded on mass flow grounds. Continuous release for more than 300 ky can be excluded on radioactive disequilibrium grounds. Repeated inflows of oxic glacial meltwater seem to have triggered the release episodes.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(02)00132-8DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

glacial meltwater
8
release
7
release uranium
4
uranium rock
4
rock matrix--a
4
matrix--a record
4
record glacial
4
meltwater intrusions?
4
intrusions? uranium
4
uranium release
4

Similar Publications

The Tibetan Plateau is home to numerous glaciers that are important for freshwater supply and climate regulation. These glaciers, which are highly sensitive to climatic variations, serve as vital indicators of climate change. Understanding glacier-fed hydrological systems is essential for predicting water availability and formulating climate adaptation strategies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Climate change is expected to alter the input of nitrogen (N) sources in the Eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay due to increased discharge from glacial meltwater and permafrost thaw. Since dissolved inorganic N is generally depleted in surface waters, dissolved organic N (DON) could represent a significant N source fueling phytoplankton activity in Arctic ecosystems. Yet, few DON data for this region exist.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To address the challenge of runoff prediction in cold alpine regions with complex spatial distributions, this study proposes an integrated "Water-Soil-Hseat" framework for runoff modeling. This framework incorporates key factors such as precipitation, glacier meltwater, soil spatial distribution, and temperature-induced melt processes, providing a more comprehensive understanding of runoff generation mechanisms. Precipitation and glacier meltwater serve as the primary hydrological variables, while soil spatial distribution acts as an impact factor, and temperature-induced melt processes drive the runoff.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cryoconite is abundant in artificial radionuclides such as plutonium (Pu) and amounts of radioactive contaminants is stored in glaciers. Under global warming and glaciers rapid retreating, glaciers could be a second source for radioactive contaminants and the stored Pu isotopes could be released to the downstream areas through surface runoff. However, the knowledge and understanding on the migration behavior and cycling of Pu isotopes in the ice cap is quite limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Snowball Earth hypothesis predicts global ice cover; however, previous descriptions of Cryogenian (720-635 Ma) glacial deposits are limited to continental margins and shallow marine basins. The Tavakaiv (Tava) sandstone injectites and ridges in Colorado, USA, preserve a rare terrestrial record of Cryogenian low-latitude glaciation. Injectites, ridges, and chemically weathered crystalline rock display features characteristic of fluidization and pervasive deformation in a subglacial environment due to glacial loading, fluid overpressure, and repeated sand injection during meltwater events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!