Radiocarbon in Groundwater

The methode to calculate old ages with help of radiocarbon-isotope C-14 is used in Hydrology, that deals with properties, occurrance and houshold of water on earth. According to Münnich's ideas groundwater is seeping away into soil taking with it recente, biogenic carbondioxide from dead organic substances. This calcium aggressive water solutes CaCO3 that is assumed to be fossilized. This results in an equilibrium of the participated substances in groundwater and gives a typical C-14-content in aquifer under consideration. Isotope-exchange with the envirement is possible.
A classical methode to measure the radiocarbon content in a probe is to extract CO2 and transform it for example into methane or acetylene. The number of radiocarbon particles can be registered in a suitable low-level device with a gas proportional counter. From this properties of the aquifer like groundwater velocity or direction and permeability of soil  etc. can be derived.
Lit.: see Gaus-Universum
State of Technology until 1980