Abstract
AbstractThe determination of uranium series disequilibria in fluvial environments is proposed as a method of calculating catchment mass balances. The technique is based on two main principles. Firstly, 234U is more mobile than 238U, especially during the early stages of weathering. Secondly, uranium is far more mobile than either thorium or protactinium. Consequently, teaching during weathering results in the loss of the uranium found in the fresh rock, leaving the two immobile daughters behind. The ratio of uranium carried by sediment to that dissolved, US/UW can, therefore, be determined from river water and sediment isotopic activity ratios. Fluxes of uranium can then be calculated from average concentrations in the water and the associated sediment, from which a sediment yield can be inferred.The Witham catchment in Lincolnshire has been used to test the proposed method. A US/UW ratio of between 5 and 7 is determined and a sediment yield of 2.51 ± 2.12 tonnes yr−1 km−2 is proposed. Although some problems concerning environmental chemistry have arisen, the validity of the approach is confirmed by the close correspondence between the results obtained and those inferred by earlier workers using more conventional methods.
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