Origin of 14C in Icelandic groundwater

Abstract

Proposed that boron concentrations of water samples can be taken as a measure of the amount of dead CO2 in the groundwater leached from rock. By assuming that the ratio of boron to CO2 is the same in the rock and groundwater it is possible to correct the 14C concentration for the contribution of rock-derived carbon in the groundwater and thus calculate the initial (undiluted) 14C concentration. Results from geothermal systems indicate that it is possible to use 14C to estimate relative age differences of the water in a particular geothermal area.