Tritium/3He Dating of River Infiltration: An Example from the Danube in the Szigetköz Area, Hungary

Abstract

3H, 3He, 4He, and Ne data were obtained from a shallow ground-water system being recharged by bank infiltration from the Danube River in northwestern Hungary. After correting for excess air, 4He and Ne concentrations reflect a recharge temperature of about 9° C, close to the mean annual temperature of the Danube (10.4° C). Values of 3H plus 3Hetrit, ("initial tritium") as a function of the tritium/3He age are consistent with time series measurements of tritium in the Danube. Tritium/3He ages increase linearly as a function of distance from the Danube along ground-water flow lines. A horizontal flow velocity of about 530 m yr-1 was derived from the age gradient. Most of the deviations between measured Danube tritium data and ground-water tritium/3He data can be explained by dispersive mixing.