Water: Dating & Isotopic Analyses
Water’s continuous movement and flow of water across landscapes contribute
to and provide important clues into the intricacies of biogeochemical cycles
at various spatial and temporal scales.
Water’s continuous movement and flow of water across landscapes contribute
to and provide important clues into the intricacies of biogeochemical cycles
at various spatial and temporal scales.
Limestone is a granular sedimentary rock predominantly composed of
calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which commonly forms along shallow ocean
water beds from fossilized shells and exoskeletons of marine organisms.
Gypsum is a relatively soft and common mineral made up of hydrous
calcium sulfate (CaSO4-2H2O). Whilst pure gypsum crystals are transparent
(often with a pearly or vitreous luster), they can appear opaque and colored
due to the inclusion of other materials (e.g. sand).
Ice core records are an important foundational archive for paleoclimatology. Through them scientists have reconstructed high resolution atmospheric CO2 and temperature records covering hundreds of thousands of years.
Isobar’s webinar will focus on boron and strontium to identify isotopic variability in the hydrosphere, including identification of pollution sources.
Isobar Science and Beta Analytic invite researchers interested in isotopes and dating to view this FREE webinar: Isotopes & Dating in Marine Enviornments
Boron isotopes are predominately made up of two naturally occurring stable isotopes – 10B and 11B. In the biosphere, boron represents a trace element integrated into organisms, allowing one to reconstruct variability in δ11B over time.
Before a time series of climate variability can be developed, the coral growth bands must first be dated. Corals can be dated using radiocarbon dating, U-Th dating and/or Sr-Sr dating.
In geochemical research, stable and unstable isotopes are used to understand the chemistry behind natural processes. Isotopes are different forms of a single element, with differing numbers of neutrons within their nucleus, resulting in different atomic masses.
Stable and radioactive isotopes can be analysed in groundwater and surface water samples in order to assess the magnitude and origin of pollution, rate of pollution infiltration into the environment, and timing of water interactions with the atmosphere.